


At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners

by YoYoHa



Category: Food Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Anal Sex, Angels, Arranged Marriage, Barebacking, Biblical References, Bigotry & Prejudice, Body Horror, Bullying, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Child Death, Decapitation, Demons, Discrimination, Dubious Consent, Frottage, Gangs, Hanging, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Incest, M/M, Magic, Masturbation, Mention of eating disorder, Murder, Non-Consensual Groping, Praise Kink, Religious Themes, Riding, Rimming, Slow Burn, Smut, Unhealthy Relationships, Vampires, demigirl!Salad, endgame Red Wine/Steak, mentions of animal abuse, mentions of animal death, vers!Red Wine, vers!Steak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-08-20 13:44:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 41
Words: 87,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16556867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoYoHa/pseuds/YoYoHa
Summary: Four months. Four murders. One strange premonition.In a time where supernatural creatures struggle to come together and live in an imagined peace with humans, grotesque murders shock the community.Can Steak, the Head of the Demons, team up with local authorities and Red Wine, a Vampire, in order to stop the murders and bring lasting peace to their communities? Or will everything go up in flames?-----------------------Food Fantasy Supernatural AU





	1. Part I: Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again everybody! I'm back at it with another SteakWine fic. I'm trying to write and finish this one for NaNoWriMo and this particular idea has been sitting in my mind now!! 
> 
> **I'll give a brief overview of the verse!**
> 
> This is a modern AU (so there are cars, phones, laptops, etc) but with supernatural elements. There are two main groups: Supernaturals and humans. Supernaturals can be broken into smaller groups: Angels, Demons (all the Food Souls with horns), Vampires, Beasts (All the kemonomimi characters), and Mages. Mages can also be broken into smaller groups for Psychic, Elemental, and Empath. There will probably be more categories but I'll add them later.
> 
> I will give a general warning now: **There will be adult and unhealthy topics in this fic, especially in later chapters!!!** In addition to writing for fun, I'm also going to be using this fic to explore/write about some of my own personal traumas. I do not condone any of it in real life, but if those topics are big no's for you, then go ahead and turn away!! We can leave it at that!
> 
> On a different note: The OC Calder mentioned in the fic belongs to Des!! A lovely person I've met through the SteakWine Discord group! 
> 
> With that being said, I hope people can enjoy this fic!

“There’s been another one.”

Sighing loudly, Steak put his fingers to his temples and attempted to massage the growing ache that had begun to amass nearly four months prior. Sitting on his desk, brought to him by a human assistant named Calder, was the Glorville Times, detailing the latest murder on the first page. 

In January, as if the turn of the new year sparked some sort of intense change, the first murder occurred. Death and killing was nothing new, especially for Steak and his line of work, but the victim was a young girl who, besides living in Demon territory, had no ties or affiliation with any particular group. Her murder seemed senseless, but she had been drained of all her blood and on her neck were fresh bite marks. 

Immediately the press sensationalized her death, especially because killing a young girl was highly frowned upon by the accused party, the Vampires. Centuries ago, they were creatures to be feared, in fact, most supernatural and magical entities were to be feared, but for modern society they were generally accepted, and Vampires found sustenance in processed human blood via donation, animal blood, or willing sponsors. Murder for food hadn’t been committed by a Vampire in decades, so journalists took the story and ran with it. 

Steak himself had very limited interactions with the Vampires, typically leaving menial tasks to informants and ambassadors. It wasn’t as if Steak could get away with never doing business with the Vampires, considering they shared a territorial border. As a Demon, Steak wasn’t inclined to like the Vampires, growing up with a bitter taste in his mouth because of turf disputes, and learning to be wary because of his desirable blood. It wasn’t just him, but history had been littered with the bodies of Demons sucked dry due to Vampires’ obsessions. He had never known just exactly what it was, but something about Demon blood drew them in, so of course, Steak had some natural prejudices.  
And of course those prejudices got worse with the first murder, and continued to grow worse after each successive killing.

While the victims were human, they were under Steak’s care, and it seemed like each target fell closer to their headquarters. The Demon couldn’t help but think it was some sort of targeted attack. 

“Thanks,” Steak replied gruffly, shooing the other man from the room. 

“And Milk wanted me to tell you that she’s looking for you.”

_Of course she is._ Steak thought, but chose not to voice it aloud. 

“Okay, I’ll find her in a bit.”

Only the sound of the door closing gave Steak the freedom to lose his composure, groaning in frustration as he threw the newspaper across the room. What he really needed right now was a good spar, but he knew it’d have to wait until he finished not only the assignments he needed for today, but also clearing up this newest murder with the police.  
He stood, taking his cigarettes and a lighter from his jacket pocket and heading from his office and outside of the building to smoke. It wasn’t as if he needed the lighter since he could create flames at will, but he’d received it as a gift long ago and figured it’d be inconsiderate to not use it. At their operations base, Steak recognized most if not all the faces he passed and dimly wondered where all the Demons had gone. 

The majority of his gang was Half-Demons at best, with only a handful of true Demons holding top spots, and even then, because of the recent murders, a good bit of them wanted out. Milk was one of them and he was dreading the conversation he’d be having with her. 

When he made it outside the building, he lit his cigarette, placing it between his lips before breathing in the smoke deeply. From around the corner, he sensed the presence of another individual. 

“Slacking off again? Your dad would be rolling in his grave if he knew how much you’d let this group slip.”

Steak didn’t even let the words affect him, and he flicked the end of his cigarette to lose the ash. 

“Spaghetti. What a pleasure,” he lied, voice flat as the similar looking man waltzed up to him casually. “Are you here for something important?”

“Right to the point as always. So gruff,” he said, digging in his large coat and retrieving a manila envelope. Steak never did understand why the man felt like wearing such lavishly extraordinary clothes. “And after I took it upon myself to get the investigator’s report on that murder last night.”

Steak’s interested was peaked, and he brought his cigarette back up to his lips to take a drag. 

“Anything interesting?”

Spaghetti grinned and leaned against the outside wall casually. “That depends on if you got that special request I asked for.”

Immediately upon hearing Spaghetti ask about his “special request”, Steak lost interest, and his lips curled at the thought. “Get lost, Spaghetti. I’ll figure it out myself.”  
Spaghetti frowned. 

“Your father was never so weak. I’ll never know why he even entrusted the Demon territory to you,” Spaghetti scoffed. Steak tried to not let himself get affected by the words, but he failed. 

“Maybe because I was his only legitimate son? And he knew you’d run this place into the ground.” 

In a moment, Steak was shoved up against the brick, held up by a threatening fist around his clothes. He could feel the temperature of the air around them warm up as tensions between them flared. 

“You better watch that mouth of yours, _little brother_ , or else you’ll have bigger problems on your hands than the murder of some humans.” 

After saying his piece, Spaghetti dropped Steak unceremoniously, turning on his heel to walk away. Steak coughed once he was released. If there was one thing the Demon didn’t have, it was tact, and a sense of gauging his words before he said them, especially not with his older half-brother. 

Smoke break ruined, Steak dropped his cigarette and rubbed it out on the concrete with the sole of his shoe before walking back inside. 

He had been hoping that Spaghetti would hand over the information, but he had recently become pushier with underground and black market requests, which Steak refused to fill. When his father died and he was put in charge of overseeing all Demon operations in the city, Steak vowed to change the image of his gang, and to uphold the protection of those that lived in the territory, and even though he had relative success over the last couple of decades, there were still those that feared the Demons. 

But all the ruminating would make his head hurt, and Steak wasn’t particularly fond of brooding. 

He made a beeline for Milk’s office, figuring he’d at least get one thing done before meeting with the police. Knocking, he entered once he heard her gentle voice tell her to come in. 

Milk’s grace and beauty always surprised others, but growing up beside her meant that he never took much notice. Because of her pale hair, he could tell why she was given the codename “Milk”, and even after spending the better part of a century with her, Steak still didn’t know her true name. 

Her partner, Black Tea, was sitting in the chair across from her, and frowned when she saw Steak. They didn’t get along much, and it was mainly because of Milk’s involvement with the Demons. As an Elemental based Mage, Black Tea didn’t agree with Milk’s position in the gang, and had been trying to get her to leave for years, and especially after the recent murders, Black Tea was even more insistent. Despite being a full-blooded Demon, Milk wasn’t very strong, instead using her natural powers to heal and strengthen others. Therefore, she relied on others for protection, and for a long time, that was Steak. Naturally, when Steak took over the Demon territory, Milk aided him as best she could, though he knew the work was taking its toll on her

“What did you need?” Steak asked, ignoring Black Tea’s presence as well as he could. 

Milk cleared her throat before speaking. 

“Milt came to me earlier, and left a message from Caviar,” she said. Steak made no visible reaction, but having a message from Caviar typically meant a prediction of the future, and if he was going out of his way to actually inform Steak, then it was important. 

“Alright, let’s hear it then.”

“He says: ‘A strange visitor will be the key to survival. The supernatural existence will depend on communication and trust to fight an unlikely foe’.” 

It was relatively straightforward, but Steak wished that there could be a few more details included in the visions. He could admit that thinking and puzzling over things wasn’t his strong suit, and so the premonition left him with more questions. 

“Did he say anything about this visitor that will help me identify them?” Steak asked, not liking how grave and urgent this premonition seemed. However, he also knew that the future Caviar saw was only one possible result of many. 

“He didn’t say anything else, but it seemed his vision was particularly taxing. Milt said she would be taking the day off to see to him. I’ve already called Yogurt in to replace her for the day,” Milk responded. 

Steak spared a small smile for her diligence. He knew this entire operation would go under without Milk’s steady support. 

“Thank you Milk, I don’t know what I’d do without you. But I’ll be heading out now to talk to the police. If anyone calls, tell them I’m busy,” he said, opening the door to leave. “And it was nice to see you Black Tea.”

He received no response from the dark-haired Mage, and he shut the door behind him to head to the police station. 

The station wasn’t too far away, but considering his smoke break was ruined, he decided it’d be a good opportunity to bring his bike out. When Steak passed his office, he grabbed his helmet. Next to sparring and smoking, his motorcycle always offered some relief, and considering he couldn’t do the first two, his bike would substitute. 

The familiar sound of the engine revving up, and the feeling of the sleek metal under him washed away some of the tension, and he left, heading towards the station with the wind brushing past his face. 

The ride to the police station was quick, and the Chief of Police was already waiting for him outside. Milk must have called in advance to let him know that he was coming. 

“Steak,” the man said. “I was honestly expecting you a bit sooner.”

The Demon didn’t have the energy to get upset with the comment, and he unhooked his helmet as he put up the kickstand on his bike. 

“Let’s just get this over with. What did your investigators find?”

He knew he’d only be getting lenient information. Unlike his father, he didn’t want to bully the locals into releasing any information deemed too confidential, but it also meant Steak was left in the dark and would have to rely on private investigators or Mages to glean the truth. He may have made progress with uniting forces with city officials, but it didn’t mean that the Chief of Police was going to cozy up with the Head of the Demons. 

“This time the victim was a young man; twenty-five. His name was Jax Perceval. You probably saw it in the paper already, but there wasn’t anything different about this case from the last ones. He was found exsanguinated near his home. We haven’t been able to put a match to a possible suspect yet. The station has been trying to reach the Vampires since the first murder but they say it has nothing to do with them,” the Chief explained as they walked into the station. 

Steak snorted. 

“Yeah, right. The Vampires are definitely up to something. They’re probably just trying to protect their own.”

The Chief Valencia didn’t comment in agreeance, choosing to remain partial, but from past conversations, Steak knew they were at least on the same page about their discomfort with Vampires. Demons were definitely more feared than Vampires nowadays, but especially after the first murder, the Vampires had experienced tons of social ridicule and discrimination, and they no longer had as much public footing. 

“Well, I’m not gonna say anything on it. There’s definitely something weird going on, since it’s not like there’s any shortage of blood going to them, so I don’t know why they’d turn to killing,” The Chief responded, opening the door to his office. 

“Those are quite some accusations you two make. It’s rather rude, don’t you think?

The unfamiliar voice made both Chief Valencia and Steak reach for their guns, pointing them towards the elegantly dressed figure in the middle of the room. 

It was evident from his pale skin and pointed ears what he was, and the tips of his fangs showed from the pressed grin he gave. The man looked like a porcelain doll, dressed to the nines in clothes from another era. The fact he was perched so casually on the Chief of Police’s desk somehow without alerting anyone was frightening, and Steak felt the hairs on his skin rise as a natural fear kicked in. 

“Gentleman, there’s no need for your guns here,” he said, raising his gloved hands. “I am a representative here on behalf of Lady Gingerbread. We think that the confusion of these murders has been going on long enough, and it’s time to clear up the situation.”

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” Steak growled, before Chief Valencia could say anything. 

“Steak, put down your gun. You’re not even supposed to have that here,” the Chief hissed. 

“Steak?” the gentleman on the desk said calmly. “What a lovely surprise to be meeting with the young Head of the Demons. I promise I mean no harm, and I’ve come unarmed.”  
Steak ruefully put away his own gun, knowing that pulling it out here at the Police Station probably wasn’t the best idea, but he thought less with his actual thoughts and more with action. The Chief of Police walked towards the Vampire with his gun still up before patting him down for any weapons. When he was clean, Chief Valencia holstered his own gun. 

“Who the hell are you? And why are you even here?” Steak asked directly, not realizing he repeated his earlier questions. 

The Vampire looked him in the eye, and Steak got the impression that this man was highly dangerous. 

“I’ve already said I’m here to elucidate the situation and hopefully clear the name of our clan. I’m a representative to Lady Gingerbread. We try not to get involved in messes, but this one seems unavoidable.”

“What’s your name, young man?” The Chief asked. In response, the other male smiled lightly, and bowed at the waist. 

“My name is Red Wine. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”


	2. Part I: Chapter Two

“Brother! Why am I tied up?! Let me go!”

Sweet Tofu had to cover his ears to keep his heart from stirring in grief and agony. The moments where his brother was lucid were the worst, and as horrible as it was, Sweet Tofu wished he would slip back into the more carnal and animalistic state where he didn’t know nor care about his situation. The hungry growls and intelligible groans were better than the pleading and begging. 

Everything had started in December when Salty Tofu began complaining of a fever.

Sickness was relatively deadly to Vampires considering their dependence on blood, and typically weak immune systems. Sweet Tofu, as his brother, and the only one of them qualified to treat others, watched over him night and day, doting on Salty Tofu and nursing him as well as he could. Just as quickly as the fever came, it was gone, with no other signs or symptoms. While Gingerbread had been relieved about his healing, and congratulated him, Sweet Tofu wasn’t convinced he had anything to do with Salty Tofu’s recovery.  
After the sickness, Salty Tofu became more reckless and irritable, and it took Sweet Tofu’s constant surveillance to keep him from destroying other things and sucking his sponsors dry. 

Then in January, he got away from Sweet Tofu during the night, and attacked a human child outside of their territory. The Vampire was only alerted when Salty Tofu returned to their shared room, reeking of blood and trembling at the horror he’d committed. 

Terrified of losing his brother, Sweet Tofu went to the scene of the crime and erased as much evidence as he could, despite the fact that the corpse clearly showed signs of a Vampire attack. When returning to their hideout, Sweet Tofu had already prepared a cover story and the twins convinced their clan it was the work of an impostor and didn’t deserve any formal comment. 

And then everything was fine. They were going to sweep everything under the rug and move on. Maybe they would find a poor soul to blame for the murder to do the time, and Sweet Tofu wouldn’t have to live without his baby brother. 

But Salty Tofu got out again. 

As vigilant as Sweet Tofu was, he couldn’t keep his eyes on Salty Tofu all the time, and the frequency at which Salty Tofu escaped was increasing. Knowing he couldn’t hide it any longer, Sweet Tofu confessed to Gingerbread the truth after four months. However, not knowing what was causing the sudden blood thirstiness and violence meant they had no options but to lock up Salty Tofu up so that he couldn’t escape and kill anyone else.

They all took turns guarding his room, and in his free time, Sweet Tofu worked tirelessly to find a solution to his brother’s situation. 

But hearing his brother anguish in shackles made Sweet Tofu’s heart break. 

“I get it. We’re playing a game. Like we used to when we were younger,” salty Tofu said, his voice sounding a bit deranged. Chills ran down Sweet Tofu’s spine and he curled into himself by the door, choosing not to respond. “I have to say, I’m surprised with how far you'll go. Big brother, come play with me,” Salty Tofu urged in a lilting voice.  
Still ignoring him, Sweet Tofu bit his pierced lip. He hoped Red Wine returned soon with the promise of help and support from the city.

\----- x ~ * ~ x -----

“Bullshit.” 

Steak broke the silence between him, the Chief of Police, and Red Wine, who had just recounted the events around the murders, and the Vampires’ prediction about what was happening. 

“It seems the only possible option,” Red Wine retorted, glaring at Steak. 

“You mean to tell me that one of your clan has murdered four innocent people and we’re not supposed to lock him up or kill him? And that you think he’s suffering from some weird, unknown murder-sickness?”

Steak was completely stupefied at the suggestion. 

“Steak is right. Even if it’s true he’s sick, we can’t just let him go free. Besides, what does he even have? Vampire rabies?”

Red Wine clenched his jaw, but kept his biting words to himself. He had expressly mentioned he was here on behalf of Gingerbread, so he couldn’t cause any problems now. Red Wine had been against asking for any outside help, but Sweet Tofu had been unable to pin down substantial causes for Salty Tofu’s new behavior alone, and they were getting desperate. 

“I assure you, we wouldn’t be coming to you like this if we were not serious. This is a desperate time for us,” Red Wine pleaded. 

Before he could even react, Steak’s fist had balled up the front of his shirt. Flames licked the air surrounding them and the Demon’s eyes were wild. 

“Desperate time for _you_? Families have had their loved ones _murdered_ by one of your clan and have been living a nightmare, and you want to say this is a desperate time for _you_?!”

“Steak!” Chief Valencia called out, “Put him down, there’s no need for violence here.”

This close, Red Wine could smell the warm blood under Steak’s skin, and felt a tightness in the back of his throat. He had made sure to feed from a sponsor yesterday, knowing he’d be having this meeting, but he still could feel the hints of thirst from being this close to a Demon. 

The Vampire’s lip curled, disgusted at himself for the involuntary reaction. 

Listening to the Chief of Police, Steak dropped the Vampire, the latter stumbling a bit as he regained his footing. 

“Such a brute. Typical of a Demon.”

With his temper, Steak’s fire flared, and the Chief of Police jumped in between them, the hem of his uniform catching fire where he put a hand on Steak’s chest.  
“I’ll kill you, you bloodless monster,” Steak growled. 

“Calm down! Steak, go cool off outside. Now.” 

There was a pause where Steak considered just reaching over and settling the matter himself, but he tried to make a good name for Demons in this city and that meant listening to the people in his territory. With a huff, he turned and walked outside, slamming the door of the Chief’s office behind him. 

“I’m surprised that worked,” Red Wine commented bemusedly, straightening out his ruffled shirt where Steak had grabbed it. 

“He’s a good kid, honestly. Just a little passionate about people he is supposed to protect,” the Chief said, slumping in his chair and color draining from his face. It was evident to Red Wine that Chief Valencia didn’t think it would work either. 

“I can tell,” the Vampire responded, before sitting in the chair opposite to the Chief. He let the human gather himself before speaking more on the issue. 

“You said your name was Red Wine?”

“Yes, sir,” he responded. Chief Valencia scribbled the information down on paper. 

“And how old are you?”

Red Wine smirked. Everyone knew it was kind of pointless to ask a supernatural about their age, considering it was arbitrary at best. 

“I think a few hundred years old now. I’m not quite sure.”

The questioning continued as Red Wine’s official statement was taken. He recounted everything he’d mentioned before, about Salty Tofu being infected with something that had changed his behavior and caused the murders. After the Chief wrote down everything, he leaned back in his chair and sighed. 

“You do realize that it’s against the law to conceal information about a crime, or tamper with the scene of a crime? So your clan could very easily be punished on the grounds of those charges alone, with or without the actual murders,” Chief Valencia explained. Red Wine felt his irritation mount. He never understood human’s obsessions with their laws and rules. While he knew order was important, there was obviously something bigger to worry about than charging them unnecessarily. To him, it seemed the most common sense to figure out what was happening to Salty Tofu in order to prevent any more murders from happening. 

“If you feel like punishing us would be necessary, you can always take your troubles to the Church.”

Because of a Vampire’s near immortality, it was made apparent relatively quickly that punishing and arresting them like humans would be extremely ineffective. The Church had quickly taken upon themselves the task for punishing supernatural creatures for their crimes. Despite societal progress towards accepting supernaturals, the Church found them all heinous, especially the Demons, who they would find any excuse to eradicate. Different branches typically had different leanings, and it was in the Vampires’ favor that the closest acting Church was particularly lenient to them, in exchange for Red Wine’s underground services. They had lost a brother to the Church in expense, but it was worth it to keep the entire clan safe. 

However, the Vampires’ connection with the Church wasn’t common knowledge, and especially to humans, the Vampires and the Church were seen as enemies to each other.

“You’re serious about this sickness, aren’t you?”

“Deathly.”

The two sat there for a moment while the Chief pondered his options. 

“I’ve really got to stop being so soft-hearted.”

Red Wine couldn’t help a faint smile from forming on his lips as Chief Valencia closed his notebook. He stood and gestured for Red Wine to follow him. 

“I’m going to need any and all information you can get about your friend’s condition. And I want you to work together with Steak to gather any underground information.”

Nearly stopping in his tracks, Red Wine scoffed. 

“I beg your pardon? You want me to work together with that brute?” he asked incredulously. Chief Valencia only sighed. 

“Well, considering most of the murders have happened in _his_ territory, I feel like it’s only natural to have you two work together,” he clarified. However, as they walked outside, Steak was nowhere to be found.

“Damn,” The Chief cursed. “I guess he decided to move on to something else.”

Red Wine groaned to himself. In only a few short minutes, Steak had already taken off. 

"Well, I guess that means we need to go find him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, if you see errors, let me know! Leave kudos if you like!!


	3. Part I: Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this chapter is a lot longer than the other two, but I didn't feel like splitting it up. 
> 
> Thanks for everyone who has already read this story and left kudos, they really do make me very excited and motivated to keep writing! I hope I don't disappoint you readers! 
> 
> I'm also adding in another category to what I originally posted and that's Strength Mages! They're essentially our beefy bois and strong units, and they'll be explained later in the fic!

Steak was done with having to handle irritating personalities today. 

First it was his half-brother Spaghetti, and then that egotistical Vampire. Now he was barely holding it together as he gritted his teeth at the lackadaisical Empath Mage before him. 

“I don’t really feel like doing that. How about you come back later?” he said, silky blond hair flowing over his shoulder where he leaned against the door. His companion, a bulbous food spirit hovered around him like a koi in a pond. 

“I really need this favor, Wonton. I’ll give you whatever you want,” Steak responded. Many people in town knew of Wonton and his skills. He was the most skilled Empath Mage when it came to convening with spirits and the dead. 

“Then how about giving me some peace and quiet so I can nap?”

“Wonton,” a solemn voice said from deeper in the house. The blond rolled his eyes and opened the door fully, revealing a man dressed all in black with long, flowing black hair. 

“You are here about the murders?” he asked Steak. The Demon got a stern and austere impression of this man, and wondered how he could be connected to such a carefree and whimsical person like Wonton. 

“Yes. There seems to be some complicated details about the case, and I needed some help uncovering the truth,” Steak responded. 

The man in black nodded. “We will help you.” 

Wonton groaned and rolled away from the door to go deeper into his house. The man in black gave him a disappointed look before turning back to Steak. 

“Please, come in.”

Steak had rarely met with Mages aside from some Strength Mages, who were people who used their magic to bolster and buff themselves and others. But besides them, Steak didn’t really care to go out of his way to get to know Mages. Mages held no territory and lived alongside humans where they helped better their lives, and there were different recognized categories of Mages. People like Black Tea were known as Elemental Mages, because they control various tangible aspects and are able to bend them to their will. People like Wonton were considered Empath Mages for their innate ability to communicate with, or influence other people. 

When Steak stepped inside the house, the first room he met with was a large living room with an antiquated table and chairs set in the middle. Various occult items were hung on the walls or draped from the ceilings, and the strong scent of incense burned his nose. He followed the darkly-dressed man past the main living room and to a cluttered office space. Books and obscure items were stacked around the room, leaving only a thin passage to walk through. In the office, there was an old desk with books stacked on it, and two mis-matched chairs on either side. 

“Please excuse the mess. With the murders, we’ve had growing business from the victims’ families and loved ones. Have a seat.”

Steak was slightly uncomfortable at how cluttered everything was, and worried that his horns might knock some important artifact down, so he sat in the chair gingerly. 

“My name is Tortoise Jelly. And you are Steak, I assume?” the man asked.

Because of the food-related alias, Steak wondered if this man was a supernatural creature himself, or if he had deep ties to one in which the protection of a fake name was needed. 

“Yeah,” Steak responded. 

Tortoise Jelly nodded before opening the worn, leather-bound book that was sitting squarely on the desk. 

“Wonton has been a little irritable because of the growing list of requests to speak with the dead. He may be a talented Empath but he’s young and lacks training. He will be getting dressed and we can head to the scene of the most recent murder shortly,” Tortoise Jelly explained. Despite his youthful appearance, Steak got the impression that he had lived far longer than it seemed. 

Tortoise Jelly flipped through the pages of the book, which Steak now noticed was a journal, and he turned it so Steak could read. 

“These were the accounts for the murders since January. I’ve collected the data from family séances, and the information Wonton gathered from going to the scenes of the murders,” he explained. Steak took the journal and began reading. 

_January 12th, 20XX_

_The parents of Amelia Reikes came in today to speak with their daughter. Wonton’s abilities were limited. Normally he would only need a treasured object to establish the connection with a spirit during a séance, and have the spirit manifest, but in this session he was only able to see her life before his eyes. He nearly passed the visions of Amelia’s death to her parents, but he broke the connection before he could. We’ve never seen this happen before; it’s as if young Amelia’s spirit no longer exists. We will be going to the scene of the murder to try and establish a stronger connection._

_ Results from the scene of the murder: _

_There was still no luck at establishing a connection and manifesting the spirit. Wonton’s efforts have tired him, and he seems terrified of the visions he saw before Amelia’s life was cut short. For a brief period after recounting her death, Wonton was unresponsive, but when coming to, he passed on the images he saw rather than tell me._

_A gruesome and gaunt monster had killed her. He had eyes unlike any living creature I’d ever seen. They were pale as if he were dead and the cold, clammy skin I could feel in Amelia’s memory seemed to nearly slip from the creature’s bones where she grabbed him in her struggle. I could only see black and white before the sharp pain of my neck being torn opened a fountain of red blood. Before death I could hear some words from the killer._

_“Attende Domine, et misere-“_

_I can only assume this was the Latin text “Attende Domine, et miserere quia peccavimus tibi”._

“What does this Latin here mean?” Steak asked after reading through the chilling account. 

“It’s a religious text historically found in chant and in choral works. It means ‘Hear us, Oh Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned against Thee’,” Tortoise Jelly responded. 

The text didn’t make any sense to him. To his knowledge, there would be no reason that a Vampire would feel particularly holy and recite this text. But even then, the content of the text seemed to be irrelevant. Was Salty Tofu, who Red Wine had confirmed committed the murders, feeling guilty and remorseful and therefore felt compelled to recite the text? Or was he speaking on behalf of Amelia. 

Steak skimmed the other accounts, noticing a similar trend in the séances. He understood now why Wonton was so against taking a job that had anything to do with the murders.

“Have you already been to the most recent crime scene?” Steak asked, passing back the journal. 

“Not yet, we usually wait until the police are done scoping out the area. Fewer distractions make for a more quality connection.”

Steak, who rarely talked with Mages who weren't Strength Mages, was learning a lot about how they used their powers, and he wondered why he hadn’t called on them in the past. 

“Are you guys done talking? I’m ready to go.”

Steak turned and saw Wonton dressed casually, with his spirit floated lazily around him. He wore a pair of black lounge pants and a light blue wrap-around top that nearly looked like a robe.

“We’re done. I was filling him in on the other cases,” Tortoise Jelly explained, closing the journal and standing. The three made their way from the house. 

Steak hadn’t noticed it before, but Tortoise Jelly and Wonton didn’t seem to use a lot of technology, and when they left the property, Steak realized they were going to walk to the site of the murder. It was rather awkward, considering he didn’t know either of the two men until just recently, and the three of them walking together with Wonton’s spirit companion trailing behind them made for an interesting sight.

Passing through the city, Steak saw a few places he hadn’t noticed before, and he made mental notes to come and walk around to get to learn the local spots better. Places he knew from decades ago were gone and replaced with chic, new alternatives, and new business flourished in the areas where they walked. 

He had grown up in this town, spending the near-century of his life up until now in an underground world’s lap of luxury. His father had seized most of their current territory, and was a fearless Demon that ruled over his area of influence with an iron fist. The city’s law enforcement and political bodies despised the Demons, and there were many power struggles that lead to more than a handful of deaths. Steak was born to his father at the height of his career, when he married a fiery woman named Naomi, who was a notable Demon. Steak’s mother already had a son with a human man, and the four of them lived together in relative happiness until the sudden murder of both of his parents. At that time, Steak was old enough to take care of himself, and in his will, their father had left all gang operations to Steak. His brother, who was furious at what seemed like betrayal, turned cold towards Steak, a characteristic he found in juxtaposition to Spaghetti’s flaming red hair. That hair was just like Steak’s, and just like their mother’s. After their deaths, it became evident to Steak that his mother did not love his father, but the warmth and kindness she passed down to him burned hot under his skin. 

“Have you ever been to Satan’s?”

The mellow voice of Tortoise Jelly brought Steak out of his stupor. 

“Satan’s?”

Tortoise Jelly pointed a lithe finger across the street to a coffee shop with the words “Satan’s Coffee House” written in elegant lettering above it. 

Steak’s eyebrows furrowed because he was positive he’d heard that name from somewhere else before, but he had admittedly never been. 

“No, I’ve never been.”

“What a shame,” Tortoise Jelly replied wistfully. “It has such delightful owners, and the menu is wonderful.”

To hear such a stoic man speak highly of a coffee shop made Steak feel like he was now obligated to find some time to go. Wonton, who’d been silent and restless the whole time, snickered under his breath. 

“You don’t even drink coffee. You just get tea and hang around for way too long like a creepy old man,” the blond commented. 

“That is usually because I am grading your assignments,” Tortoise Jelly retorted, effectively shutting Wonton up. The two definitely had a weird dynamic, and trying to puzzle over the nature of their relationship left Steak with more questions than answers, and it boggled his brain. He decided to just forget about it; it’s not like it was his business anyway. 

Before he knew it, they had arrived at the scene of the murder. The area was in a dilapidated part of town, obviously left to its own devices to sink further into poverty. Steak was familiar with this area, considering it was still within the range of Demon territory, but he hadn't walked through it in a while and it was worse off than he thought. 

The body and blood had been mostly cleaned from the sidewalk, but there was a grotesque, brown stain that lingered in the concrete, and Steak clinched his jaw. He assumed that if Salty Tofu had attacked to feed, there wouldn’t be so much blood, and the fact that there was enough blood left over to make a sizable puddle was a red flag to Steak. 

“So, how does this work?” Steak asked, a bit uselessly, as Wonton slid under the yellow caution tape. 

Tortoise Jelly moved to stand next to Steak. “He’s going to convene with the victim. If it’s anything like the last few, then he’ll see the man’s life and the final moments before his death.”

“Jax Perceval.”

Tortoise Jelly gave Steak a confused look. 

“The guy’s name was Jax Perceval,” Steak said, drawing out a cigarette and his lighter and stepping to the side to smoke while Wonton did his work. 

He wondered what Jax’s life was like, and if he had family and friends that were missing him. Was he a father? A brother? An uncle? Did he have any interesting hobbies? Questions like this circled Steak’s mind, just as they did anytime the Demon was face with death. He inhaled the nicotine and exhaled all the bothersome questions. 

A few yards away, Wonton focused himself to connect with Jax’s spirit, and Steak watched him curiously from afar as he smoked. Tortoise Jelly made sure to not be too far, but Wonton stood stock still for nearly 4 minutes. 

In that time, it seemed as if all sound stopped. Steak could no longer hear birds or other animals, nor could he hear the sound of the gentle spring breeze rustling leaves in the trees. The distant sounds of cars and children playing at the neighborhood playground also ceased. Steak became increasingly aware of his own heartbeat, and an intangible weight seemed to settle upon him, as if gravity was gradually getting stronger. Steak could see that Tortoise Jelly seemed unfazed by the gross feeling, and wondered how anyone could ever get so familiar with this experience that they were unaffected. 

And with a gasp, it was as if life returned to the world. 

Steak sputtered, coughing on the cigarette that was half-finished before the world went into a weird trance, and Wonton fell over, panting furiously and sweating. Tortoise Jelly attended to him dutifully, and Steak dropped his cigarette, crushing it between the sole of his shoe and the concrete before shaking ash from his hand. Had he been anyone else, the cigarette ash would’ve burned his fingers, but because he used fire frequently, he had a slight resistance to burns. 

“What the hell just happened?” Steak asked, walking towards Tortoise Jelly and Wonton. 

“He got in touch with Jax’s spirit. Or what was left of it,” Tortoise Jelly explained, wiping sweat away from Wonton’s brow. 

Steak though the gesture was a bit intimate, but he ignored it. “What do you mean ‘what was left of it’?” 

“If Jax’s soul still existed, then Wonton would be able to manifest him, and we would likely see an apparition of Jax and could speak to him in the afterlife; however, Wonton is only able to connect with pieces of Jax’s soul, and sees his life as if watching a movie,” he said. Steak remembered reading in the dark-haired man’s journal about how there didn’t seem to be a soul left in other cases, and the pieces of information clicked together. 

“So not only are people being murdered by Vampires that turn into hideous monsters, but they’re also stealing souls?” Steak recounted. The information he currently had made no sense to him; he would have to do some digging. 

“You are certain this is the cause of a Vampire?” Tortoise Jelly asked. Of course there had been speculation considering the bite wounds on the neck and the lack of blood in the bodies of the victims, but Steak also knew that from the deads’ memories, it seemed as though a monster attacked the victims. On top of which, Steak had only learned earlier that day that it was a Vampire committing the crimes. 

But since the cat was out of the bag, there was no reason for Steak to try and hide it. He wasn’t a particularly good liar anyways. 

“There’s only been confirmation today, but the situation is a bit muddled, so I would appreciate if you kept that information on the down-low,” Steak said, trying not to threaten Tortoise Jelly. He seemed like the type of man that could be trusted with secrets, and the Demon hoped above all hopes that his character judgment proved true. It would be a huge mess if word got out to the masses that a Vampire was committing the crimes before the police could makes an official statement to prevent panic. 

“You have my word.”

Wonton, who had been out cold for a while, came to, blond lashes fluttering against unconsciousness. 

“Welcome back. Did you see anything interesting?” Tortoise Jelly asked calmly, his smooth voice holding a hint of worry. 

Wonton sat up and rubbed his head as he groaned. His spirit companion, which had been with Tortoise Jelly, floated gleefully around his head. 

“Nothing different than the last. It was the same monster that attacked. The man was out jogging when he was killed,” Wonton said. Steak clicked his tongue in annoyance. There was no motive tying any of these murders together it seemed, and if Red Wine’s story from earlier turned out to be true, would that mean other people were at risk of being infected with a murder virus?

“Oh,” Wonton said, remembering something, “he was walking with his dog though. A little mutt. It ran away before Jax died.”

Steak didn’t see how Jax Perceval’s dog was relevant information. 

“What does a dog have to do with anything?” he asked, voicing the thoughts in his head.

Wonton and Tortoise Jelly both gave him a blank stare, and Wonton helped himself up, patting dirt from his clothes. 

“You obviously are unfamiliar with working with Empaths.”

“Most police will not use it either, but some Empath Mages can interpret the thoughts of animals and communicate with them. Most times animals will witness a murder and Empath Mages can become privy to that information. It is possible that Mr. Perceval’s dog has seen more details of the murder,” chimed in Tortoise Jelly. 

While Steak found the idea of a dog witnessing a murder a little horrible, he also realized it would give him more insight to the cases; especially since the authorities wouldn’t turn to Mages for evidence. 

A police car approached from a block away and stopped beside the three. Steak knew it was Chief Valencia before he stepped out, considering he had left so abruptly earlier, but Tortoise Jelly and Wonton seemed to take a step back away from the car. Once the car was parked and shut off, two figures stepped out. 

“There you are,” Chief Valencia said, and from the passenger’s side, Red Wine stepped out. looking thoroughly displeased. Tortoise Jelly narrowed his eyes at Red Wine and stepped closer to Wonton. “I see you’ve been having fun.”

“I wasn’t learning anything at the station,” Steak responded, crossing his arms. He jerked his chin towards Red Wine. “Why is that guy with you?”

“Chief Valencia feels it would be best if we work together,” Red Wine said, crossing his arms and looking like the epitome of a huffy teenager. 

“Hell no,” Steak spat. “I’m not working with that blood-sucker.”

“Oh, how creative. I’ve _never_ heard that one.”

“Boys, let’s just get in the car, we can discuss on the way back to the station,” Chief Valencia said, eyeing Tortoise Jelly and Wonton, giving them a subtle clue that it was in their best interest to move along as opposed to hanging around the scene of a crime. 

“I’m older than you,” both Red Wine and Steak said in unison, much to each other’s displeasure. 

The Chief of Police let out a laugh. “You two are already working well together. That was basically harmony.”

“Well, that’s all fine and dandy,” Wonton said with a sigh, but a little jilted. “Steak, we’ll be billing your headquarters for your services. Keep in touch,” he said before looping arms with Tortoise Jelly to walk away. Tortoise Jelly grumbled about physical contact and how it was too hot for such intimacy, but he didn’t make much effort to pull away. 

Steak groaned as he was left alone with Red Wine and Chief Valencia. 

He just hoped he could get to the bottom of this entire case quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you see any mistakes with this fic! Your feedback is extremely helpful! Next chapter we'll see a little more action! Likes and kudos are appreciated <3


	4. Part I: Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should've mentioned earlier but since I'm doing this for NaNoWriMo, there should be regular updates. So about every couple days you guys should see a new chapter! 
> 
> I'm so happy with some of the feedback I've gotten from this fic! If you haven't read it already, I have another SteakWine fanfiction called "Soulbonded" that I would love for you to check out! There's also a short BlackMilk fanfiction in the same verse I wrote!
> 
> I'm also part of a SteakWine server on Discord! People on there are a great time, and some of the lovely people there have so graciously given permission to let me use their OCs in this fic! Come join us! https://discord.gg/2jrfTaR
> 
> With that being said, I thought we should finally get some action! Even if it's not between our fave boys.

By time Steak finally returned to his base, he was exhausted. 

With Chief Valencia, they had decided that while the police figure out everything they can with their resources to prevent mass hysteria, Red Wine and Steak would run covert operations and look into whether or not Salty Tofu’s sickness was causing the murders. And if the sickness was indeed causing murder, they needed to find out if others could contract the disease and how Salty Tofu got the disease in the first place. They would also need to see if there was a way to reverse the symptoms and bring Salty Tofu back to his original state. Steak was also plagued by the thought of knowing the victim’s souls were taken, and Salty Tofu’s strange appearance and actions during the murders. 

At the end of his day, he needed to spar. 

Flipping through his phone, he searched for some of his typical sparring partners. Mainly they were people he’d met at the gym who could keep up with his brutish pace. Steak sent a text out to the one person he knew would be available, and waited impatiently for a response. 

_From: Hamburger_

_Yea dude!!! i can totally meet up. Is that gym off broad okay?_

_To: Hamburger_

_yea_

Without giving an ETA or any other words, Steak stood from his chair. He decided to leave his jacket because he could easily walk to the gym from here. As he was leaving, he ran into Milt. Her narrow eyes and threatening visage unmistakable. 

“You’re off for the night?”

It took a while to get used to Milt’s eccentricities, but Steak, who didn’t even get along with normal people well, didn’t dislike Milt’s presence.

“Maybe. I’m going to the gym,” he responded. The red head was only barely surprised when Milt closed the distance between them, running her fingers seductively over the cotton of his shirt. 

“If you need to work up a sweat, you know you can always call me,” she said seductively. Steak turned his head, having long since become immune to Milt’s methods. 

“I’m just going to work out with Hamburger.”

Knowing she wouldn’t get anywhere, Milt crossed her arms and pursed her already thin lips. 

“Always so cold; I must not be your type,” she pouted. 

Steak found a bite of amusement in her statement and let out a dry puff of a laugh. “Definitely not my type,” he said before walking past her to leave. “Weren’t you supposed to be taking care of Caviar?”

He didn’t turn around to see her reaction nor did he stop, but he heard her scoff from behind him and smiled. 

As he walked to the gym, he pondered on such a rough day it had been. He was absolutely not looking forward to working with Red Wine, and told Chief Valencia that if it weren’t for the weirdness surrounding the murders, he wouldn’t have ever agreed to work with the Vampire, even tentatively. After running into Milt, Steak couldn’t help but think of Caviar’s prophecy. Was it possible that Red Wine was the stranger that he spoke of? And how would they have to team up to save the world?

Steak snorted and pulled out a cigarette from the box in his pants pocket, lighting it with a fire from his pointer finger. 

The idea of battling some giant evil seemed like a concept right out of a story, and Steak wasn’t buying in. Grandiose ideas and the whimsical nature of fate were lost on him since he only relied on what he could feel with his own two hands, and as he rounded the block and past the front of the gym where he was meeting Hamburger, he clenched his fists, bringing himself out of his thoughts physically. 

“Yo! I was expecting you a little earlier!”

Steak nearly found his lips curling up into the hint of a smile when he saw Hamburger. It’d been a while since the two of them began meeting up and sparring. The brunet was good with his fists and he always succeeded in working a sweat up for Steak and tiring him out. In more ways than one. 

Hamburger held his fist out and Steak bumped it. He still thought the action was lame, but it was better than Hamburger nagging him about it later. 

When they walked in, they were greeted by a friendly assistant who took their membership cards for validation. The two of them had seen this particular woman multiple times before in the past, and she smiled as she handed them back their membership cards.

“Have a nice evening, and our spotters will be walking around and checking on you guys.”

“Oh, I really hope Cola is working!” Hamburger said excited, slinging his bag over his shoulder as they walked towards the locker room. 

“He always is,” Steak commented. When they walked into the locker room, Hamburger continued to chatter. 

“I know, but it’s late. He texted me and told me he worked the day shift yesterday so I didn’t know.”

Steak didn’t really feel like any response was needed, and with the gratitude only left in him after a grueling day, he peeled the shirt from his body and replace it with a fitted exercise tank, making sure to be careful with his horns. 

Hamburger whistled low while Steak undressed. 

“Stop.”

Hamburger only responded with barking laughter. 

“You know you like it,” he said, before taking off his own hoodie. He was already wearing his athletic gear, but that was to be expected of a Strength Mage. They may get bolstered from magic, but they still have to make sure they exercise or else their bodies won’t sustain all the muscle growth. It was rare to see a Strength Mage that wasn’t a health and exercise nut or an adrenaline junkie. It’s why they made the best spar partners. 

After Steak finished changing, he made sure to wrap his fists before shoving his bag and clothes in a locker. 

It was technically against this gym’s rules to spar without protective gear, but Steak pulled some strings, offering local protection to the gym staff in exchange for a lightening of the rules whenever he wanted. 

“Hey!! It’s Hamburger and Steak!”

Steak had to keep his eye from twitching at the sheer volume of the shouted voice. 

“Cola!” 

Steak sighed and rested his weight on a hip as he waited for the two other men to have their obligatory greeting celebration. Despite the fact they saw each other. Nearly every day. 

After an unnecessarily elaborate handshake, Cola came and patted Steak on the back. 

“It’s good to see you Steak. You guys need a spotter?” Cola asked, tucking some of his pale fringe behind his ear. 

“Yeah,” Steak responded. Despite his obnoxious nature, Cola was a pretty competent spotter, and his abilities as an Elemental Mage made him very helpful in the gym. It also helped that hamburger fought better with Cola egging him on. But for now, they would warm up.

For about 30 minutes, Steak decided to lift some weights. Hamburger seemed more interested in cardio, and Cola went with him so they could chat. Steak didn’t mind, he preferred to be by himself in the gym anyway, and put his worries into the tension he felt on his body from exercise. 

Cola came over every now and then and asked if he needed water, but that was about the limits to their conversation. 

Once they were warm and most of the people left the gym, it was time to spar. The exercise helped combat some of the worries in his mind, but Steak’s head was still jumbled with questions on this murder case. 

Steak and Hamburger stepped over to the padded mat and held out their fists so Cola could count the off. 

“First one to three points wins the match. 3. 2. 1. And go!”

Steak wasted no time in throwing the first punch, putting all the aggression from the day behind his swing. He pictured Red Wine’s face, and felt his blood run hot. Hamburger dodged by crouching, and then dealt a swift blow to Steak’s toned stomach. 

“Woooaahh, Steak is really bringing the fire tonight,” Cola commented, watching their fist fighting match.

Steak couldn’t help the minute reaction from getting punched in the gut, and that split second gave Hamburger the opportunity to get up and swing at Steak’s jaw. Because his reactions were slow, his best bet was to block, and his hands went up to stop Hamburger’s momentum, slapping his hands out of the way and landing a clean cut on Hamburger’s cheek. 

“Point 1 for Steak.”

The relief of winning the first point already washed a lot of the stress from him, but his flames coiled in his chest, threatening to spill over in his excitement and he held out his fist to steady himself for the next match. 

“That was a good punch,” Hamburger complimented, touching his bruised cheek. The flesh beneath his hand lost the red from the punch, and Hamburger shook it off, placing his fist up as well. 

“Aaaannnnnd go!”

This volley went on longer, neither being able to get in a solid blow. The struggle of overcoming his sparring partner spurred more burning heat and Steak growled when he held his hands in front of his face to block. 

“Stop defending dammit,” Hamburger shouted, landing quick, but weak blows to Steak’s sides. When the Demon placed his hands down to prepare an offense, Hamburger slugged him in the jaw. 

“Good one, Hamburger!”

In the spirit of competition, Steak felt his flames rise. He would only really need one match with Hamburger before the stress and tension melted away into something more easy to deal with. The Demon could already feel his head clearing and he had to stop his mind from trying to come up with next steps to some of the major problems in his life. 

Whoever got this next point would set the course for the rest of the match. 

“Go!” 

Cola’s shout lunged them both into action. Steak could already feel some sweat building on his brow from exertion, but his mind was focused. He was meeting Hamburger blow for blow, which was considerable seeing as Hamburger was more agile that he was. Fire pricked at the underside of Steak’s skin as he got impassioned in the spar. 

Before Steak could realize what happened, Hamburger hit him with an uppercut that sent the Demon stumbling back a few steps. 

“Point, Hamburger!” Cola shouted. 

Steak turned him out and his eyes became fiery. Like most people, he didn’t like losing, and right after Cola called for them to start, Steak landed a multitude of quick blows before slamming his fist into Hamburger’s chin. 

“That makes one point for Steak! It’s two and two, next point deems the winner!”

Besides the three of them, the gym was fairly empty. Because Steak had been busy with the case all day and stuck at the Police Station looking over the murder details from the past four murders with Red Wine and the Chief, it was fairly late. To make sure they were all on the same page, and to ensure cooperation, Chief Valencia laid out the police’s next moves and told Steak and Red Wine that he didn’t need to know any nitty-gritty details until they were sure they had solid evidence. Because the police working together with a gang and a Vampire clan would be corrupt, Chief Valencia suggested that what they found they could turn in as anonymous evidence. And because of that, they were late leaving the station. Steak and Hamburger also had 30 minutes of warm-up after arriving to the gym. 

It was good virtually having the gym to themselves, they didn’t have to worry about getting the shit beaten out of them in front of an audience. 

Steak felt a calm come over him from the spar, and his muscles relaxed, despite the overwhelming fire coiling inside of him. He could tell from his excitement that he’d still be worked up after the spar, and he thought back to what Milt had said to him earlier about blowing off some steam. 

Maybe that’s what he needed. He hadn’t got off in a couple of weeks. 

“Annddddd go!”

This particular volley went on for a while, and Steak threw punch after punch at Hamburger, who dodged them expertly. It was obvious the Strength Mage was getting a little exhausted, having burnt through his energy quickly. That was one thing Steak knew he had on most people – stamina. 

But his slow and steady pace was broken by Hamburger’s last ditch effort at offense, and Steak felt a fist connect with his cheek. 

“Hamburger wins!”

Steak, irritated to no end at his lost, felt flames shoot from his fingertips, and his mouth steamed at the fire that threatened to come out. Hamburger and Cola, who were used to his reactions, were unfazed, though they took a moment to pause in their celebration until Steak regained control of his fire. 

The Demon took a deep breath and exhaled with a huff, the fire coming back under control, before walking towards the locker rooms. 

Hamburger and Cola took that moment to high-five. Steak didn’t mind. His head was clearer now and he knew in a little while he’d come down off the adrenaline. Especially if he burned more of it off. 

As the first one in the locker room, he began changing, and Hamburger followed him in. Cola chattered for a while about how cool their match was, just like he typically did, and even if Steak didn’t understand some of the lingo the Elemental Mage threw out, he felt a stroke to his ego at being gushed over. 

“Cola,” the lady from earlier called. Not coming into the locker room while people were there, she simply spoke from the door. “We need you to help close.”

“Alright guys, I’ll talk to you later! And Hamburger, thanks again for that advice!”

When Cola left, it was as if a part of Hamburger’s energy got sapped from him, and he sighed. 

“Advice?” Steak asked, pulling his casual shirt over his head. 

“Yeah, he, uh, asked about some girl and how he should talk to her.”

Ah. Cola was interested in a girl. 

In his heart of hearts, Steak suspected that Hamburger had feelings for Cola, and it confused him as to why Hamburger would continue to hurt himself by doing something dumb like giving him advice on girls. 

But that wasn’t any of Steak’s business. 

“Hey,” Steak asked, knowing nothing of tact and timing. “Are you free tonight?”

“Free tonight for what?” Hamburger asked. Steak simply gave him a flat look that told him “you know what”. Hamburger sighed again and there was a beat of silence between them. Just when Steak was about to retract his question, Hamburger responded. 

“Yeah, I’m free.”

Which is how Steak found himself walking back with Hamburger to the Strength Mage’s apartment only a few blocks away from the gym. It was quite convenient how closely he lived, which is how their arrangement started in the first place. 

They had barely made it into Hamburger’s apartment before Steak had him pinned against the wall, biting at his neck. 

“Fuck, make sure not to leave any visible marks,” Hamburger said breathlessly as Steak mercilessly ground their hips together. 

Steak only grunted in agreeance, before moving his hands into Hamburger pants.

Hamburger sighed a bit at the motion, but it was a tad strained. 

He sounded exasperated, which was surprising that Steak had even notices considering he wasn’t good with noticing people. He had a suspicion it had something to do with Cola, but as long as Hamburger kept accepting him, Steak would continue coming back. Their arrangement only had a couple of rules. 

1\. No kissing  
2\. No talking  
3\. No touching Steak’s horns

It made for rather detached affairs, but that’s what worked for him. On Steak’s behalf, he had never had anyone he was interested enough in romantically to even care about how his experiences with Hamburger would affect him, so there wasn’t really any guilt. Though there was a creeping tendril of it snaking through his heart knowing that Hamburger probably had better things he wanted to do. Or better people for that matter.

Sweaty, and a little worn from their spar, Steak shrugged off his shirt, giving Hamburger some breathing room. When he was freed, he slipped from the wall, grabbing Steak’s arm and dragging him to his small bedroom. 

In a hurried race, the two took off their clothes, and Hamburger took down his ponytail, letting the brown hair fall down his face. They had done this so many times that the already detached and clinical process had become a science to them, and Hamburger pushed Steak down on the bed, biting him in the spots he knew were sensitive. 

“What are you doing?” Steak asked between quickened breaths. 

“I won the spar tonight, which means I top, duh,” Hamburger said matter-of-factly. “Hands and knees, Steak.”

“Hell no,” he said, sitting up. “Pass me the lube, I’ll just do it myself.” 

Hamburger passed Steak the lube and sat back on his heels to watch the Demon prep himself. Steak wasted no time in spreading a generous amount of the slick liquid over his fingers before plunging a finger into his ass without any warning or decorum. While normally doing this to himself he felt little to nothing until he had at least two fingers in, knowing that Hamburger was watching him, and seeing him stroke his own soft cock to harden it stirred some life into Steak’s own member. He could tell that Hamburger wasn’t really watching him, but giving a non-perceptive glance over all his movements, but it was enough, and Steak sighed shakily as he inserted a second finger along with the first. 

In silence, Steak prepped himself, clenching his jaw to keep embarrassing noises from slipping out, while Hamburger stroked himself to a full erection. Steak’s own dick had reacted to his ministrations, and when he was able to tolerate the stretch of three fingers, he pulled them out, wiping the lubed digits on Hamburger’s bed. 

“That’s gross, dude.” 

“Shut up,” Steak responded. It wasn’t like they weren’t about to do grosser stuff on that bed anyway. 

Hamburger kneeled over Steak on the bed, reaching to grab a condom from his night stand. Despite the fact they hooked up relatively exclusively, it just made clean up easier. Steak stroked his dick absent mindedly as he waited for Hamburger to roll the condom on himself. Bottoming wasn’t his preference, but it wasn’t like he hated it, but the time it took waiting on Hamburger to get himself ready was a little aggravating. 

Without speaking, Hamburger lined his cock up with Steak’s ass and began pushing into him. Steak clenched his jaw before relaxing himself, only bearing down with his muscles when he felt Hamburger’s length fully inside of him. 

“Fuck,” he hissed before pulling out slightly and pushing in. Steak didn’t need the time to get adjusted to the size of Hamburger’s dick, despite the fact it had been a while since he bottomed. It wasn’t that Hamburger didn’t have a sizable member, but he was just average, and Steak’s prep had been thorough enough. 

Gritting his teeth, Steak reached down to stroke his own member in time with Hamburger’s steady pace. 

“I have to say, you do look pretty erotic like this,” Hamburger said with a breathy laugh. 

Steak felt the words go straight to his loins, and he tightened briefly around Hamburger. 

“Stop talking.”

It wasn’t as if Hamburger didn’t know how his words affected Steak, and he just let out another light laugh before placing his hands on his hips. 

“Right, sorry.”

Steak kept his kinks to himself. He didn’t talk about them to any of his friends, if the people he talked to could be considered friends, and he didn’t share them with Hamburger. Though after hooking up for so long, Steak suspected Hamburger knew some of them. Like how he liked to be watched, and how Steak actually enjoyed talking, especially praise and dirty talk. After so long, he also knew some of Hamburger’s kinks. However, to him, sharing and indulging in those kinks made this situation more intimate, and there wasn’t anything that made him less interested in hooking up than the threat of intimacy and feelings. It was best if they just got their orgasms and left. 

For a long time, Hamburger felt the same way, but Steak had started to wonder if maybe he was just a substitute for Cola, who Hamburger would never get to touch. 

But there wasn’t any point at thinking about that stuff with Hamburger’s dick in his ass. 

Their coupling was as intense and quick as their spar, and afterwards, Steak was left panting, feeling thoroughly sated for the first time in weeks. Exercising, sparring, and fucking. They would do the job every time. 

There wasn’t any awkwardness afterwards – not after this long, and Steak left Hamburger’s apartment, deciding to walk back to his base. There wasn’t any need for pillow talk, even if Hamburger did look like he might’ve needed an ear. Steak wasn’t good with stuff like that. While he walked he lit a cigarette with fire from his fingers and took a drag. 

If the events that had happened earlier in the day hadn’t transpired, Steak would’ve said today was a great day. Checking his phone for the first time since going to the gym, Steak saw he had a text message. 

_From: Unknown_

_Is this Steak?_

As the leader of a gang, Steak never gave his personal cell phone number out to people he didn’t know directly, so the fact that someone he didn’t know nor give his number to texted him was alarming. 

_To: Unknown_

_who is this_

_From: Unknown_

_Some proper capitalization and punctuation would go a long way._

_This is Red Wine._

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Steak asked aloud. Chief Valencia must have passed it over to him after Steak left. He didn’t appreciate his number being shared, but he saved the contact in his phone nonetheless. 

_To: Vampire Idiot_

_go 2 hell_

_From: Vampire Idiot_

_I’m apparently already there if the leader of a prominent Demon gang texts like a middle school girl._

His comment irked Steak beyond belief, and flames around him began to form, lighting up the night. But before he could respond, Red Wine sent another message. 

_From: Vampire Idiot_

_The leader of our clan has been updated on the situation, and would appreciate you making time to see Salty Tofu’s condition for yourself._

The fact that Red Wine was actually trying to be helpful, aside from all his unnecessary comments made Steak stop in his tracks. His flames dissipated and he typed out his reply.

_To: Vampire Idiot_

_i guess that sounds ok_

_when_

_From: Vampire Idiot_

_Next week will be best. Can you come on Tuesday? I will send you the address._

Tuesday. That meant Steak had 5 days to prepare himself for going into the lion’s den. As a Demon, there wasn’t anything more apparently dangerous than visiting an entire clan of Vampires, but Red Wine hadn’t jumped him today, and aside from their one murdering member, if the others were able to control themselves, there wasn’t any true need to worry. 

Steak took a drag from his cigarette to calm his nerves at the thought of being surrounded by Vampires.

_From: Vampire Idiot_

_And please do something about that horrible texting style. Good night._

Steak crushed his phone in his palm in rage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know if you see any errors! I try to check over them before I post, but I could've missed something! 
> 
> Also! I forgot to post this on other chapters, but feel free to add me on Food Fantasy! I'm N.L. in game!


	5. Part I: Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess some Vampire lore for this particular verse. In order to make vampires a substantial group in this fic, I've added anyone that has pointed ears. The Tofus are also vampires tho (mainly because in their bio it says they both dislike sunlight) so they also will have pointed ears. They have heightened senses of smell and sight that help them track down prey, especially at night.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I hope you guys have fun reading it!

Steak managed to make it through the past five days by simply not thinking about visiting the Vampires. Not thinking about things was something he was kind of good at. Not to say Steak was dumb, he just didn’t bother himself with unnecessary thoughts if he could help it. 

Red Wine had sent him the address, which Steak received only after buying a new phone. He resisted the urge to conjure up an image of the Vampire’s living situation. 

He failed. 

When he drove up to the modern styled house, the image of a creepy Gothic castle was completely wiped from his mind. The house was definitely large, wrought with glass and white stone with clear cut edges. Fresh greenery surrounded the property, adding a nice aesthetic touch, not that Steak paid attention to small details like that. The house was also split-level, so that it technically had three different levels. He checked his phone to ensure he had the correct location. 

When he confirmed that it was indeed the right place, he parked his bike on the sidewalk and walked up to the gate to ring the buzzer.

“Yes?” a chipper and high-pitched voice from the other end of the line responded. It threw Steak off. He was kind of expecting Red Wine. 

“I was told to come here,” he said flatly. There was some silence for a while before the speaker came back on. 

“Are you Steak?” the person asked. 

“Yes.”

When he answered, the mechanisms that kept the gate closed began to open. 

“Come right in! We’ll be right down to see you!”

Steak was thoroughly confused. Wasn’t Red Wine supposed to be meeting him? Nevertheless, Steak got back on his bike and drove it through the now open gate, driving up to the large house and parking near the front door. 

Waiting on the front porch was a small girl with light brown hair. She looked like a child and had large, white eyes. 

Steak thought she was creepy as hell. 

The summer dress she wore fluttered as she raced down the stairs and clung to Steak’s arms. 

“Hi, Steak! It’s nice to meet you! Big brother Red Wine told me about you,” she chirped, dragging him into the large house. The fact that she address Red Wine as her “big brother” meant that this girl must’ve been a Vampire too. When she turned, Steak got a look at her ears, and lo and behold, they were elongated and pointed. 

“What’s your name, by the way?” Steak asked, feeling a strange comfort at being around the girl. There wasn’t any reason to be scared of her, and his curiosity got the better of him.

“My name is Cold Rice Shrimp!” she said gladly. Steak pondered on the name for a second before asking another question. 

“I’ve been wondering this for a while, but don’t Vampires get hurt if they go outside during the day?” Steak asked, only to receive a light laugh from the girl. 

“Not really! We can get sun burn very easily but mainly it just hurts our eyes since they’re so sensitive.”

“Ah.”

Steak didn’t feel like asking any more questions, instead taking in the surroundings of the large house. Everything was very minimalist in style, and he was surprised to see that also all the furniture matched. The young girl took him downstairs into a basement that blocked out all sunlight. There wasn’t anything particularly creepy about it aside from the fact it was a basement, and it was well maintained, but as he walked down the stairs with the girl, he could hear the sounds of shackles clanking. 

Down in the basement, there was a heavy door that had looked fortified with a familiar looking Vampire sitting in front of it with his face in his hands. He recognized him from the picture Tortoise Jelly had drew in the journal. 

Steak ripped his arm from Cold Rice Shrimp's grasp and growled, his flame’s swirling.

“Murderer!” he shouted before attempting to rush forward. The Vampire looked up and Steak could see his swollen red eyes. 

“Stop!” Cold Rice Shrimp called out, grabbing onto Steak’s back. 

The idea of accidentally hurting a child made him calm down, and recall his flames, though he still sneered at the two-toned Vampire in front of him. 

“Ah,” he said, standing and wiping his eyes. “You must mean my brother. He’s locked up in there.” 

Realizing he’d misread the situation, Steak relaxed his posture, still on edge, but squinted his eyes at the man in front of him. 

“You’re not the one that’s been murdering people?” Steak asked. 

The Vampire in front clenched his jaw before looking away. 

“No.”

“Big brother Sweet Tofu has a twin named Salty Tofu! And big brother Salty has been being very naughty lately,” Cold Rice Shrimp explained. 

Twins. 

How unfortunate. 

Steak huffed and walked towards the door to peer in. He gave Sweet Tofu a wary glance before looking through the small window cut into the door. 

Salty Tofu was chained to the wall, slouched over, but when Steak came to the window, he shot up and growled, tugging on his chains in a desperate attempt to get at Steak. Unlike Sweet Tofu, who had one pale eye and one reddish eye, Salty Tofu’s eyes were both pale and dull, as if he were truly dead.

It was chilling, and Steak took a cautionary step backwards. It was as if he were a zombie. 

“He doesn’t seem to be able to control himself.”

At Steak’s words, Sweet Tofu gritted his teeth and left, turning to walk up the stairs to the main part of the house. 

“Poor big brother Sweet, he’s been going through a lot,” Cold Rice Shrimp commented. The Demon bit his tongue to keep from saying something rude to the young girl along the lines of the families of the victims being the actual ones who were going through a lot, but he also realized that this was something Salty Tofu couldn’t control and it was taking a toll on his clan. He turned to look in the room again, and there was nothing remotely conscious about him. 

“Anima si peccaverit per ignorantiam feceritque unum ex his quae,” he hissed, and Steak’s eyes widened at hearing the Latin. 

“Come listen!” he shouted to Cold Rice Shrimp, waving her over. "What's he saying?"

“Domini lege prohibentur et peccati rea intellexerit iniquitatem suam.” 

“Does he always say things like that?” Steak asked, turning to the young girl. She tilted her head quizzically, and at first, Steak thought it was because his multiple frantic questions.

“He didn’t say anything.”

“He was just speaking in Latin!” Steak explained. Cold Rice Shrimp gave him the same look and put her ear to the door, despite the open hole for the window. 

“I didn’t hear anything,” she mumbled. 

So now Steak was hearing things? Salty Tofu’s voice was clear as day and loud enough that is should have been heard in the basement. Was he the only one that could hear the Latin? He suddenly remembered where he first learned about the Latin in the first place, and knew that Tortoise Jelly and Wonton could at least hear it. So maybe it was just other Vampires?

It was another piece of the puzzle and unfortunately, made the puzzle a little more complex. 

He had promised to keep the police updated on anything he found, and the way Salty Tofu looked, with both eyes pale and glazed over as if he had truly died, and the way he tugged on his chains viciously, snapping his drooling jaws at Steak, made Red Wine’s initial claim seem a little more true. Steak would never say that aloud though. 

“When was the last time he drank any blood?” Steak asked.

“He was fed earlier this morning,” Cold Rice Shrimp answered, her head drooping. 

“Isn’t that fairly recent?” Steak asked, a bit shocked. He received a nod in response.

“We usually only need to feed once a week, but big brother Salty has been needing blood every day.”

Maybe because she was small and young-looking, but Steak felt the slightest pang of sorrow for her. Maybe it was simply because she wasn’t Red Wine, but because of the look on her face, Steak was apt to believe Salty Tofu wasn’t always like this. Especially after seeing how heartbroken his twin brother was. 

Steak sighed loudly.

“Something really did happen to him, huh?”

Cold Rice Shrimp nodded vehemently. 

“He used to be a little mean sometimes, but he would never hurt anyone!”

Steak could concede that there was some foul play happening. Whether or not it really was the sickness that caused this, some change had occurred in Salty Tofu. 

“Let’s go back upstairs.”

Cold Rice Shrimp led Steak back up the stairs away from Salty Tofu, and in the kitchen with a glass of water and some tissues was Sweet Tofu. 

“Sorry about earlier, it’s just been very hard with what happened to my brother,” Sweet Tofu said when he saw Steak. 

Now Steak thoroughly felt like an ass. The guy he nearly attacked was apologizing to him. 

He rubbed his neck awkwardly. 

“It’s no problem, sorry for trying to attack you,” he responded a bit awkwardly. Sweet Tofu wiped his nose with a tissue before throwing them away. 

“It’s alright. It’s not the first time someone mistook me for my brother and tried to get back because of his actions,” he responded, he then gave a weak but wry smile. “Or vice versa.”

Steak didn’t know if he was supposed to find that funny. 

“Yay! Now we’ve all made up!” Cold Rice Shrimp cheered. She clung back on to Steak’s arm. Steak had no idea why she was being so affectionate with him, considering he was a stranger. 

“Cold Rice Shrimp, what have I told you about latching on to guests.”

There was an unfamiliar voice, and a girl with long blonde hair in a large braid stepped into the kitchen. She didn’t look much older than Cold Rice Shrimp, but her eyes looked lethal and experienced. 

“Mommy!”

The young Vampire ran over to the newcomer and hugged her. Steak raised his eyebrows at the title. 

“I can see the look on her face, that’s not her real mother. That’s just Gingerbread,” Sweet Tofu explained, walking over to a cabinet and pulling out coffee. Gingerbread walked past him and smacked him in the back of the head. 

“What do you mean ‘just Gingerbread’?” she said, placing her small fists on her hips. “I sure hope he hasn’t been acting like a pain in the ass all day towards out guest.”

At being addressed, Steak stood up a little straighter. 

“I’m Gingerbread. I’m the acting head of this household.”

Steak didn’t want to know what she meant by “active” head of household, but he took her outstretched hand and shook it. 

“Red Wine will be by later. I sent him out on an errand, I hope you’ll forgive me,” Gingerbread said. While they spoke, Sweet Tofu began making coffee. 

“That’s fine,” Steak said, not adding that he would prefer if he didn’t have to see Red Wine at all. Something about him pissed Steak off immediately, and he couldn’t tell if it was his posh, out-of-date wardrobe, or his condescending tone, but Steak hated all of it. He didn’t really understand why Red Wine had to dress like he was from the 1700s or something when the other Vampires were completely fine with looking and acting like normal people. 

“Have you already seen Salty Tofu?”

At his name, it was like a blanket of gloom fell over the kitchen, but Gingerbread seemed to be a very straightforward person who could handle business, and her eerily pale yellow eyes bore into him. 

“I have. Red Wine told me you all think some sickness made him like this? What type of medications did you try to give him?” Steak asked, knowing now was the time he could get on the same page as the Vampires with their end of the story. 

Gingerbread’s eyes flicked over to Sweet Tofu. 

“Yes, I have all the treatment paperwork in my office, you can just follow me,” she said, spinning on her heel. Cold Rice Shrimp, who had obediently been dogging her, heard the word “office” and went to help Sweet Tofu with coffee. 

Steak followed her to a room on the middle level of the house. It definitely seemed like an in-home office with the large glass walls, and huge desk inside. 

“Sorry, Sweet Tofu is very attached with his brother, so he has a hard time talking about stuff like this,” Gingerbread said. “Please have a seat.”

“I can imagine it’s rough,” Steak said as a rare show of sympathy. Not that he would understand having a deep emotional connection with his brother. He felt a little bad assuming that coming here would be dangerous. No one so far had given him the suspicion that they would hurt him, and they seemed very well-mannered and nice. Aside from Red Wine, that is. 

“I do have detailed files though of the treatment we’ve done on Salty Tofu so far,” she said, opening up a drawer in her desk and flipping through some files. She pulled out a thick file and passed it to Steak.

“Holy fuck. You’ve done this much?”

Gingerbread just nodded. “Sweet Tofu is our resident healer. He’s been working non-stop to try and figure out how to get Salty Tofu back to normal.”

Steak didn’t feel like reading through everything right now. He didn't even feel like he could if he wanted to.

“Is there anyway you can fax this to me?” 

When Gingerbread said yes, the two of them spent the next few minutes typing in the fax number and scanning the first few documents. 

Steak’s phone rang and when he checked the Caller ID, it was Calder, the intern from his base. 

“Yes, Calder?”

_“You suddenly got a lot of medical documents from the scanner. Do you need me to do anything with them?”_

Steak pinched his brow, he forgot that he needed to send warnings for stuff like that. 

“Yes, I’m faxing them. Just set the papers on my desk.”

_“Gotcha. I’ll do that. See you later, Boss.”_

Calder was a hard-worker, even though it was evident that he hadn’t hoped to be doing such a menial position. 

They continued faxing the documents, and after a while, Red Wine interrupted by coming into the office. 

“Oh, what a…surprise. It’s Steak.”

It was evident to the Demon that Red Wine was going to say “pleasant surprise”, and the deliberate change made Steak snort.

“You’re the one that invited me here today. Why are you even surprised I’m here?” Steak added, handing Gingerbread another document. 

“Honestly, I was hoping that you’d either forgotten, or that my last minute errand would run long enough that I'd miss you.”

There was just something about Red Wine’s attitude that riled Steak up, and he gritted his teeth. 

“Well, we’re supposed to be working on this case together,” he spat. Steak didn’t want to say anything too rude in front of Gingerbread considering she’d been very civil with him. Normally, he wouldn’t care, but if they were going to make any headway on this case, they would need to stay on genial terms

“I see you’re looking through Salty Tofu’s medical file,” Red Wine said, not addressing Steak's comment and plopping down in the second chair across from Gingerbread at her desk. 

“I know Chief Valencia was joking but it really does seem like some weird Vampire rabies,” Steak said. 

“That’s quite rude of you to assume that this virus only affects Vampires,” Red Wine commented, crossing his arms. Steak rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut. 

“Do you guys always bicker like this?” Gingerbread asked, a hint of amusement on her face. 

“I’ve literally only known him for 5 days now,” Red Wine commented. 

“5 days too many,” Steak responded, passing Gingerbread more papers. 

Gingerbread smiled at the two. It was a good reprieve from all the gloom in the clan. 

“I like you, Steak. You can come back anytime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you readers are Latin buffs, please let me know if any of my translations are incorrect!! Mainly I am using Biblical texts so I try to find websites that have got them, but I know the one in this chapter is less popular and thus the translation might be a little wonky. 
> 
> Please feel free to leave kudos and comment if you enjoyed! And let me know if there are any errors! Thanks so much for reading!


	6. Part I: Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really on board with NaNoWriMo!!!!
> 
> EDIT: I cannot BELIEVE I nearly forgot, but the bakery mentioned in this chapter, Selentia's is actually a bakery owned by an OC with the same name that belongs to Bappie, the admin for the SteakWine discord server. They are legitimately amazing and work so hard to bring SteakWine fans together!!

While looking into Salty Tofu’s condition, Steak also shared what he learned from his excursion with Wonton and Tortoise Jelly. Particularly about Jax Perceval’s dog. 

“Why do we need a witness? In this case we already know how the victim was murdered and by whom. And if your claim is correct, we even have information on the moments before his death,” Red Wine said. Steak sighed in exasperation at him. 

The Vampire was sitting in Steak’s chair that was at his desk, and if his presence in the base didn’t already cause a stir and attention, him sitting cozily at Steak’s area of operations definitely drew attention. 

It was a battle Steak didn’t even feel like fighting. It had been nearly two weeks since they began working together on this case and they came up with little to no new information since they started. They had asked Tortoise Jelly if he could scan his written accounts from the séances that he allowed Steak to read, and if he could send them. Pouring through those documents and Sweet Tofu’s treatments for his brother made Steak’s head ache. 

At a crossroads and fed up with a lack of direction moving forward, Steak decided to reveal everything that he had yet to tell Red Wine, even if it sounded insane.

“I haven’t shown you, but there’s some strange things about the actual murders,” he said, going over behind his desk, crowding the area since Red Wine was already there and opening one of his locked file cabinets. 

“Hey, watch where you’re going,” Red Wine scoffed, scooting backwards in the chair to move away from Steak. 

“This is _my_ desk, so if you don’t like it, you can sit somewhere else.”

“I can’t believe you’d relegate a _guest_ to the worst seat in the room. What kind of host are you?” Red Wine asked.

“I’m not one, I’m a gang leader that would appreciate not having his desk taken over by a blood-sucking jackass.”

“Steak.”

Both parties looked up to where they were nearly getting in a shoving match to the door, where Milk was standing near the door frame. Steak and Red Wine immediately put distance between them and Steak cleared his throat. 

“Yes, what is it?”

Milk seemed unfazed by their closeness, but then again, she seemed unfazed by most everything. 

“I just wanted to let you know I’m going out to lunch, and to remind you that you should also eat within the next hour,” she said. 

Steak ran a hand through his red hair. 

“Thanks, Milk,” he sighed. She left, closing his door. 

“Is that your girlfriend?” 

Steak gave a quick glare to Red Wine. 

“No. Just an old friend,” he supplied, before rummaging through his desk again to draw out the files Tortoise Jelly gave him. “Anyways, this is an account of Wonton’s communication with the dead victims. You can see here this picture, although rough, clearly depicts Salty Tofu,” he said pointing to the hideously terrifying picture of Salty Tofu. 

“My God,” Red Wine said in shock, looking at the picture. 

“Wonton says that he isn’t able to manifest the dead spirits of these victims, as if their souls have been taken, and he can only see visions of their lives,” Steak explained. He put his finger on the Latin text on the page. 

“And here, it says that Salty Tofu was speaking Latin right before he murdered some of his victims.”

“That’s asinine, Salty Tofu doesn’t know Latin,” Red Wine scoffed. 

“Well, then wouldn’t that makes this more strange? I’ve heard him speak it myself, when I went to visit your clan that first time,” Steak explained. Red Wine gave him a hard glare, as if he was searching for any evidence of a lie. 

“If that’s true, then how come I’ve never heard him speak Latin?” he asked. The question wasn’t meant as an attack, and Steak was a little surprised that by now he had picked up on that. 

“I don’t know. I was down there with Cold Rice Shrimp and she didn’t hear it either.”

Red Wine pursed his lips and tried to make sense of all the facts. 

“So Salty Tofu when committing murders and apparently, some other times, will speak Latin, a language he _doesn’t_ know, but only certain people are able to hear it?” 

The predicament was definitely confusing. 

“Yeah, I don’t understand it either. It’s why I haven’t told you until now. But I think the Latin is definitely connected to the sickness and the murders. And I know other people can hear it because this account from Wonton’s experiences was written by Tortoise Jelly, both of which had heard the Latin, before I even made contact with them.”

Again, Red Wine sat in a moment of silence, mulling over the facts. 

“It sounds like we need to visit Wonton and Tortoise Jelly again and see if they have any knowledge as to why only certain people can hear the Latin,” Red Wine suggested, finally standing from Steak’s chair. “But first, we should go get lunch.”

Steak stared at Red Wine quizzically. 

“We?”

“Well, not me of course. I fed a few days ago. I meant I’m coming with you.”

Steak groaned. 

“There’s no need for you to ruin my lunch like that.”

“Nonsense,” Red Wine said, grabbing the black parasol he’d brought in. “That way we can both go talk to Wonton and Tortoise Jelly. Four heads are better than one.”

Steak knew the phrase was “two heads are better than one,” but he didn’t feel like picking a fight over something so minute. 

“Fine. Whatever.”

\-----x~*~x-----

Talking about Wonton and Tortoise Jelly made him remember the café that Tortoise Jelly had lauded, and after a short walk, they found themselves at Satan’s Coffee House.

“What a nice little place,” Red Wine commented as they entered the shop. It was evident that they ordered at the counter first and then took their items to their seats. Like most cafes, they sold mostly drinks, but they had baked goods and sandwiches. 

“Thank you for dining at Satan’s! All of our coffee and smoothies are made fresh, in-house, and the baked goods come from the bakery next door, Selentia’s! What will you two be having?” a chipper young girl asked. In Steak’s personal opinion, she seemed too young to be working as a barista, but he also realized it could just be a part-time job for pocket money. 

Steak ordered a black coffee, one of their turkey club sandwiches, and a macaron at the barista’s suggestion. Red Wine ordered a macchiato. 

“Alright, I’ll have those right out for you! Please take these numbers and place them at your tables,” she said. 

Steak and Red Wine each took their plastic number cards and headed to an empty table. 

“You’ve never been here, even though it’s right in your neck of the woods?” Red Wine asked. Steak glared at him. He knew Red Wine substituted “your neck of the woods” for “your territory” on purpose. Steak had mentioned that laymen didn’t need to know outright that he was in charge of the Demons. The horns already struck fear in the average person, and he didn’t want to couple it with the fact he was a gang boss. 

“No. I don’t get out much.”

“Obviously.”

Steak scowled, and pulled out his phone as a distraction from speaking with Red Wine. He didn’t like doing lunch with people, not even people he liked, and he hoped Red Wine would just stop talking to him. He only really knew how to do three things on his phone and that was call, text, and check the news, so he chose the latter. 

_Nevras Academy to push health curriculum to combat growing number of eating disorders_

_Treaty with Palata in final stages thanks to West Palata declaration of independence_

“Steak?”

A familiar voice stirred him from looking at the news on his phone. Milk and Black Tea were standing side by side near the door, seeming like they were getting ready to leave, but Milk came over. 

“I’ve never seen you here before. I see you came for lunch,” Milk said calmly, her warm voice full of what Steak knew as happiness. 

“I’d heard a good recommendation from a friend so I decided it’d be a good chance to check it out. We’ll be headed off to go do some business after we’re done,” Steak explained, less tense now that Milk was talking with him. 

“That’s nice. Black Tea works here part-time, and so we come here often on my lunch breaks.”

“That’s surprisingly, I didn’t know she had a job other than disliking me,” Steak said, a bit lowly so Black Tea couldn’t hear. Even so, it seemed the dark-haired woman knew she was being talked about and glared from near the door at Steak. 

“She doesn’t hate you. She’s just worried about me getting hurt,” Milk clarified for the hundredth time. Steak shrugged. “But I’ll get back to work. It was nice seeing you. And you too, Mr. Red Wine.”

When the two women left, Red Wine leaned back in his chair, crossing his long legs. Steak never knew how ridiculously long they were. 

“Are you sure she isn’t your girlfriend?”

“Ask again, and I’ll rip your arms off,” Steak threatened. 

“So brutish. I guess it would be difficult for you to land anybody with that demeanor.”

Steak didn’t show it, but that particular insult cut a little deep. He let it roll off of him, though. 

“Number 37?” 

Steak looked up to a lovely woman with long flowing brown hair. Some of it was braided around her head to look like a headband, and soft bangs fell to her light brown eyes. On the back of her head she wore a large white bow, and the cream-colored summer dress she wore accented her height.

If Steak liked girls, she would probably be his type. 

“That’s me,” Red Wine said, talking the macchiato from her gingerly. 

“And I assume you’re number 42?” she said, passing the rest of the foods she had so expertly balanced on her arms to Steak. “So you know Milk and Black Tea?”

Steak looked up at her. 

“Yeah, Milk works for me, and so Black Tea is around every now and then,” he explained. 

“Oh, how pleasant! I’m Tiramisu, one of the owners here,” she said cheerfully. 

“One of?” Red Wine asked. 

“There are two others, Chocolate and Coffee. We all work together to run this place! If you need any help, let me know!

And after saying that, she went to check on another group. 

Red Wine and Steak ate in silence, and once they were finished, they left, headed towards Tortoise Jelly and Wonton’s. Aside from superfluous bickering, there was nothing ceremonious about their walk, and when they reached Wonton and Tortoise Jelly’s place, they knocked on the door. 

“We’re closed,” came the muffled call from the other side of the door. 

“It’s Steak.”

There was the sound of locked being undone and the door opened to revealed a disheveled looking Wonton. 

“Come in, Tortoise will make tea.”

Steak and Red Wine followed Wonton in to where he did séances, and when the blond sat down, they followed suit. The spirit that floated around him came to examine Steak and Red Wine before returning to its master. 

“So. Who are you?” Wonton asked towards Red Wine. 

“I’m Red Wine, I’m working with Steak to help solve the recent string of murders,” Red Wine introduced. Wonton nodded. 

“So what brings you guys here?”

“I wanted to ask about the Latin you heard when you were visiting with the victims of the murder,” Steak said.

“Okay?”

Steak, glad that Wonton was working with them so far, continued. “We’ve uh, found out that the murder suspect wouldn’t have known Latin before the time of the murders, and it seems like only certain people can actually hear the Latin. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just me. 

“I think you might be a bit confused,” Wonton began. “I didn’t hear any Latin per se, it was just in the memories.” 

“What?” Steak asked, deflating a bit. 

Wonton sighed. 

“Anything that a person sees, hears, feels, tastes, or smells before they die, I can also experience. I’ve had clients that hallucinated and I could see their hallucinations, but it didn’t mean I could see it in reality. If that makes sense.”

Red Wine made a sound of understanding. 

“So you wouldn’t have heard the Latin in real life, just in the memory,” Red Wine clarified.

“Sure, but I kind of assume that if someone is speaking Latin I could hear it. But if Steak says only some people could hear it, I may or may not be able to hear it if I were confronted with the murderer in real life. I’m just saying you can’t rely on it as fact.” As he spoke, Wonton’s spirit curled languidly around him, and Tortoise Jelly walked in with a tray with four teacups. Two had already been filled and made up.

“How would you like your tea?”

“Straight, please,” Steak commented, and Red Wine said “one cream”. Tortoise Jelly poured the tea to their specifications. 

“Well, that’s aggravating,” Red Wine said, going back to the earlier conversation. They had to be careful not to spill too much information. Steak had already accidentally said that the murderer was a Vampire, though it didn’t seem as if there were ramifications from that slip of the lip. 

“I hope that wasn’t the only thing you came out here for,” Tortoise Jelly said, taking a seat by Wonton. 

“Actually, no,” Steak added. “When we went to the site of Jax Perceval’s murder, you mentioned a dog and how I might need to find an Empath Mage for animals. I haven’t been able to turn any up. Do you know of any?”

Tortoise Jelly frowned. 

“We have to disappoint you again and say we don’t,” he said solemnly.

“It’s not like we don’t wanna help you. There’s just no reputable animal Empath Mages in Gloriville. I think most of them are in Light Kingdom. 

“Well, that’s great,” Red Wine exclaimed. “Aren’t you two originally from Light Kingdom?”

“Yeah but we moved here a long time ago, we don’t actually have any connection there any more,” Wonton said, rubbing his neck. Steak slumped in his chair. 

Another dead end. 

“However…”

Steak perked up at the sliver of hope in Wonton’s voice  
.  
“There’s a place that typically has information like that.”

Red Wine placed his tea down. “And where would that be?”

Tortoise Jelly sighed and Wonton grinned. 

“It’s a popular club for locals and a popular tourist spot. It’s called Parisel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get it? Because Parisel is the first place you get fucked up |D
> 
> We see more development between Red Wine and Steak, and now they're going to go to a club, if you couldn't tell, I'm having a lot of fun here. 
> 
> And I hope you're having fun reading


	7. Part I: Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have the appearance of some new characters who may or may not show up later in the series!!!
> 
> Also, I was a little surprised about having to look up alcohol for this chapter. I'm just a cheap-o college girl, I can't afford any of this fancy stuff. 
> 
> This entire chapter was not originally slated for the story, but I was bumpin' to a K.K. Slider remix and really felt some club vibes. Here's the link for the song, please check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwrMhj5Oq4U

“Why are we even here again?”

Steak could barely hear Red Wine over the loud thumping bass the club had to offer, despite him shouting. Even after only knowing each other a short time, Steak knew he was asking facetiously, especially because the Vampire had ear plugs to help dull the sound for his sensitive ears. 

Steak, therefore, didn’t attempt to try and answer and instead made his way towards the bar. 

It had been another week since they visited Tortoise Jelly and Wonton and got the idea to come here. Chief Valencia was up to his neck in injuries and deaths caused by an increased rate of alcoholism, and the police hadn’t uncovered anything that seemed to tie all the families together. Considering this was their best point to move forward, Red Wine and Steak had gotten ready to come to Parisel, relying on the wardrobe of others to make sure they didn’t stick out. Steak had fought most of the suggestions, but decided on a loose crop top that showed his abs and some black jeans. 

“Check out the hottie at 9’o clock.”

The comment from Steak’s right came as a bit of a surprise, and he furrowed his brow to look at the man addressing him. A snake-like man with white hair dressed in waifish layers of greens and browns was draped over the bar, staring with a molten caramel eyes at Steak. The Demon felt the predatory gaze of him and swallowed thickly. The woman he was with had long brown hair tied into an elaborate updo, and the smile she wore seemed dangerous. 

Steak attempted to move closer to the bar and break eye contact, but realized that he was nearly frozen in place. The man with the white hair slid gracefully from his barstool and caressed Steak’s face. The people around them seemed uncaring about what was happening with the two of them, and strangely Red Wine was nowhere in sight. 

“Your friend left a little while ago,” the man breathed. Steak somehow heard his voice clearly over the blaring music and talking people. “How about spending a little time with me?”

The forwardness of this man was insane to Steak. Unable to respond "yes" or "no", the man kissed him. His lips were soft and delicate, and he reached a hand down to palm at the front of Steak’s black pants. 

A jolt of pleasure went through the Demon and their kiss became heated, his mouth opening of its own accord and their tongue entangling in a passionate exchange. Steak’s knees felt weak as he was kissed and palmed, and his heart thundered in an odd rush of fear and excitement. Faintly, he could smell the scent of plums.

 _I’m going to die._ Steak thought to himself. He couldn't move, and kissing this stranger made him feel like he was drowning. 

“….Steak…!”

The distant but familiar voice rang in his ears, but he had no idea where it was coming from or who was speaking. 

“…Steak!” 

It got louder and louder, but Steak continued to be molested by the strange man. 

As if a pen had dropped, Steak took a gasping breath of air, falling to his knees. His body was covered with a thin sheen of sweat, and his pants were tight at the growing erection he had developed. In his chair, as if he had never moved, was the white-haired man. He snickered towards the woman beside him who was drenched in some liquid that was most likely alcohol. Red Wine was panting angrily, holding a cup towards the woman. 

“He looks so hot and bothered, Ume. I wonder what sort of vision you gave him,” the man sighed. She simply glared at him and stood from her barstool. 

“Ass. Now you have to come help me clean up,” she said, grabbing him by the crook of his elbow and dragging him off. 

“My name is Sukiyaki, by the way,” the man said, as he was tugged insistently from his barstool. “In case you needed it for when you take care of yourself later~”

Steak was mortified. He wasn’t entirely sure what happened, but he knew that what he had experienced was simply a vision or hallucination of some sort. He stood to his feet, thanking the dim lighting for helping to conceal the boner in his pants. Hopefully if he just ignored it, it would go away.

“I’m surprised you fell for Ume Ochazuke’s trick. Usually if you know it’s coming you can block yourself from it,” Red Wine commented. Steak simply glared at him. He would’ve appreciated the heads up, especially since they were supposed to be partners in trying to solve this case. He leaned against the bar in the hopes of getting some service. 

“What can I get you?” a man with a long, light brown ponytail asked. He had a cloth that he used to wipe up the spill on the bar from Red Wine throwing a drink at Ume Ochazuke.

“I’m looking for some information on Empath Mages that work with animals.”

The bartender frowned. “So you’re not going to order a drink?”

Before Steak could say no, Red Wine sidled up next to him. 

“A Whiskey Sour and a glass of your top shelf cabernet sauvignon, please,” he said. The bartender’s eyebrows went up. 

“Is Screaming Eagle alright?”

“That’s perfect,” Red Wine commented, smiling and flashing his fangs charmingly. 

The bartender seemed unaffected but gave a huff of laughter. “Do you want top shelf whiskey too?” 

Red Wine laughed. “No, this guy isn’t that sophisticated.”

Steak was sophisticated enough to know that Screaming Eagle was one hell of a wine, and that Red Wine was trying to butter the bartender up. Alcohol was something his gang indulged in buying, selling and moving around, so Steak couldn’t afford to not know alcohol. 

“I’ll have Glenfiddich Whiskey,” Steak said, crossing his arms in annoyance. The bartender nodded and began making the whiskey sour. 

“I’m surprised you actually made a decent choice,” Red Wine commented. 

“Work mandates I at least know some basics about alcohol.”

Red Wine made a face that Steak was unable to read, but before he could think about it, the bartender was talking to them. 

“You wanted to know about Empath Mages for animals?”

Steak nodded and took a seat at a barstool. Red Wine sat beside him. 

“Well, I don’t know a whole lot, but I do know that all the good ones are in Sakurajima or Light Kingdom. We don’t have very many good ones here in Gloriville,” he said. “Oh, do you want an egg white in your whiskey sour?”

“Sure,” Steak responded. “Who are some of the Empath Mages you do know of?”

“Well, a friend of mine is friends with Sanma Shioyaki, who’s great with feline animals. Though I think that’s just a preference, I’ve heard he can do birds and dogs too. And then there’s Bamboo Rice, but he’s strictly rodents. Damn-“ he cursed, as he accidentally dropped the egg white when trying to separate the yolk. He threw everything out and grabbed another egg. He put it in the cocktail mixer and began to shake it.

“But then there’s Peking Duck, but he’s exclusive for all types of reasons and really strange.”

Once he was done shaking, he poured the whiskey and other ingredients into the mixer and shook them. 

“Is there anything else you can tell us about Sanma Shioyaki?” Red Wine asked. 

“Uh, he’s a bit reclusive, and doesn’t really like people. I’ve heard that there’s only a few people that he’ll see.”

All of their options seemed like dead ends. 

The bartender strained the mixture into Steak’s chilled glass and passed it across the bar on a coaster. 

“What a shame, we’re really in need of one,” Red Wine sighed. 

The bartender shrugged. 

“I don’t really know of any way to get to him, but my friend is a Strength Mage that travels around and does fitness classes and stuff. If you can catch him, you might be able to see if he can put in a good word to Sanma.” 

Score. 

“Do you know where he typically hangs out?” Steak asked. 

“Gimme a sec,” the bartender said, turning around and walking to grab a step stool. He reached to grab the bottle of Screaming Eagle and poured it into a chilled wine glass before passing it over on another coaster. 

“He should be here tonight if I’m not mistaken.”

“No!” 

The three turned to a man in plain clothes with a brown ponytail. Steak wondered briefly why everyone seemed to have ponytails. 

“You’re telling me that ignoramus is supposed to show up here tonight? I thought he would be in Sakurajima for at least another week,” he said. 

“I told you he would be here when you were in here _last_ week, Miso Soup. All the more reason for you to leave. Aren’t you supposed to be preaching about ‘ignoring the temptation of sin’?” the bartender scoffed, polishing some glasses. 

“Are you complaining about my patronage?” Miso Soup asked.

“Not at all, just stating the facts.”

Miso Soup huffed and got off his barstool, slapping some cash on the counter before leaving. 

“You and Tempura would probably get along,” Miso said towards Steak. “He’s obsessed with muscles.” He then took his leave.

Steak looked down at the cropped tee Milt had suggested to him and groaned. Red Wine sipped his wine. 

“You’ve been such a great help by the way, what was your name?” Red Wine asked. 

“It’s Yellow Wine.”

“Ah. How coincidental,” Red Wine said before taking another sip. 

“The bar job is just a side gig to help take care of my little sister’s education. Private schooling is expensive,” Yellow Wine said, and for the first time since they talked to him, Steak saw some fondness in the bartender’s face. 

They weren’t going to comment how the actual coincidence was that Red Wine and him were close together in name. 

Steak looked towards where people were dancing, and tried to see if anyone stuck out to him. Meanwhile, Red Wine continued to chat to Yellow Wine about his little sister and the school she was in. Steak turned to observe their conversation and for the first time that night got a legitimate look at Red Wine’s outfit. 

When he wasn’t dressed like a fashion beacon from the 1800s, he actually looked pretty decent. Though Steak would sooner walk over hot coals than admit that aloud. 

Red Wine wore a loose and thin white top that was asymmetrical, the front part nearly coming down to his knees whereas the sides came up around his hips. On top of that he wore a beige light knitted jacket that hung off his elbows and fell to below his knees. His ornate and dark necklaces and rosaries accented the white well, and he wore light blue ripped jeans tucked into brown ankle boots. His pale skin was accentuated by the light colors, and it made him look like paper, with his red eyes like rubies. 

Steak could feel a familiar stirring in the pit of his stomach and tore his gaze away, clearing his throat. 

“How will we know when Tempura is here?” 

Yellow Wine gave a full-on laugh at that. 

“Oh, you’ll know. He never fails to draw a crowd. But I’m going to go help these ladies over here, let me know if you need anything,” he said before walking off. 

The two sipped on their drinks in silence, poised to watch the people on the dance floor. Most of them seemed too drunk to even match any type of coordination, and others looked like the only reason they came out was to dance. For some people, it was obvious they were there for more sexual reasons, and Steak saw Sukiyaki grinding on some beefy guy. At least this one seemed like he was reciprocating. 

“Wow, it looks like Sukiyaki has a type,” Red Wine commented, finishing his glass of wine. 

Steak nodded and continued to sip his Whiskey sour. He was actually kind of irritated that Red Wine ordered him a drink he liked. 

After downing his first drink, Steak felt in the mood for another, and ordered another Whiskey sour. Red Wine ordered another glass of Screaming Eagle. 

“Are you trying to one-up me?” Steak said, sipping on his drink. 

“I don’t really need to. I could drink you under the table.”

Oh, it was on. 

Steak turned back to the bar and flagged down Yellow Wine. 

“Sorry, but could you pour us 10 shots? Whatever you like,” the Demon said, a bit of a hiss in his voice.

Red Wine smirked amusedly, although in the back of his head he already knew this was a terrible idea. 

“Okay, I’ll play this game,” Red Wine said, downing his second glass of wine before passing the empty cup over. Not to be defeated, Steak finished his second whiskey sour and put the glass on the bar. 

Yellow Wine laid out 10 shot glasses, pouring in orange juice in them before pouring peach schnapps in second. 

“Fuzzy navels? We can handle stronger stuff than that,” Red Wine scoffed, before taking the first shot closest to him and throwing it back. 

They both drank until there were no more shots. Steak finished 6 and Red Wine only finished 4. 

“10 more,” Steak called, and Yellow Wine set up 10 new glasses, this time, filling them with Amaretto, coffee liquer, and then Irish cream. With a flourish he even topped them with a spritz of whipped cream. 

“We’re not girls,” Steak complained, but down the first shot. 

“Just because they look pretty doesn’t mean they can’t fuck you up,” Yellow Wine commented. 

Steak scrunched up his nose. He definitely didn’t want to be doing Blowjobs with Red Wine, but if that’s the alcohol they’d get, than that’s the alcohol he’d drink.

He got to his 3rd shot before he felt his hands wavering a little, and he looked over to Red Wine, who downed shot after shot like a pro. 

After finishing an even 5 and 5, they stared at each other. Steak’s last two brain cells were telling him that he didn’t need to take on 10 more shots, and he huffed, swiveling in his chair to watch the dance floor. If a normal person had that much alcohol, the would be in much worse shape, but considering they were supernaturals, alcohol affected them differently. 

“Are you done?” Yellow Wine asked. 

“Yeah,” Steak grumbled. 

At the other end of the bar, they heard a booming voice. 

“Haha! I know right? Try putting your hands around them.” 

Steak, naturally drawn by the loud noise, turned his head to see a man in a fitted tank flexing an arm. He had long, messy blond hair pulled into a ponytail, and girls flocked him. One even had her hands clasped around his flexing bicep. 

“That much be Tempura,” Steak said, leaning over to Red Wine, maybe a bit too closely. Red Wine raised an eyebrow at the clearly inebriated Demon and the mispronunciation.

“Are you sure we should go talk to him? You seem a little not yourself,” Red Wine commented. 

“Fuck you,” Steak said, but without the heat. 

Red Wine couldn’t help but stare at Steak momentarily. Maybe it was the alcohol slowly starting to sink in, but he cursed fate for making Steak so attractive but so aggravating. He knew why he got accosted by Ume Ochazuke and Sukiyaki earlier, and it was because he was built like a Grecian statue. It was infuriating. It didn’t help that the scent of his blood wafting from under his skin seemed so enticing. 

But Red Wine snorted. He had more self-restraint that to be staring at Steak in public. 

Red Wine did the honors of walking over to Tempura, not knowing if Steak would be able to handle it. 

“Tempura,” he shouted over the throng of girls. The blond immediately turned his attention to Red Wine. 

“Hey! Do I know you?” he asked, squinting his eyes. 

“No, but you should, what are you drinking?” Red Wine said. Tempura gave him a crooked grin. 

“A gin and tonic.”

Red Wine saw to order him a gin and tonic and ordered a glass of some run-of-the-mill Merlot for himself. He cocked his head towards the dance floor, and realized that he’d probably piqued this guy’s interest. 

With their drinks in hand, the strayed on the fringe of the dance floor. 

“You’re a Vampire, right?” Tempura asked, leaning in close to Red Wine’s ear. He had to admit. Tempura was a little hot. He was actually Red Wine’s type. 

“I am. Why do you wanna know,” he said, drinking down his Merlot. Disgusting. 

Tempura put his free hand at the small of Red Wine’s back, and the Vampire startled a bit. 

“I hear losing a little bit of blood can help with high blood pressure and blood sugar.”

Ah, so the health nut wanted another way to stay healthier. 

“Are you propositioning me?”

“Is it working?”

Tempura had his own charm about him, and Red Wine thought that he wouldn’t mind having a different sponsor. The girl he currently had seemed a little tired of their arrangement. And this also gave them a convenient leg up for trade. 

“That depends on if you can help me with something,” Red Wine said, making sure to press the front of his body against Tempura’s warm chest as he leaned into his ear. He hated playing this flirtatious role, but at this point, he’d do whatever he could if it meant being one step closer to helping Salty Tofu. 

“I can definitely try,” Tempura said, excitement clear in his eyes. 

“I’m looking for someone named Sanma Shioyaki. I need his services.”

Tempura sputtered a laugh. 

“That’s all? I can get you to Sanma easy-peasy. Give me your number and I’ll text his to you.”

Red Wine could say one thing about Tempura, and that was that he was smooth. It was obvious that he could've just given Red Wine his number, but insisting that the Vampire give his meant that he couldn't get out of giving his number away.

He told Tempura to pull out his phone and inputted his number. Within the minute, he had Sanma Shioyaki’s contact saved. 

Score. 

“So…”

Red Wine looked up from his phone and saw the expectant look on Tempura’s face. In his hand was an empty glass from his gin and tonic and Red Wine wondered when he downed it. 

“Feeding. Right,” he said, throwing back his drink. “Did you want to do it right now?”

“Please.”

Inside, Red Wine recoiled at the idea of feeding in a public area. It was unsanitary. But he smiled nonetheless. 

“How about you come to my place after this and we can have some more privacy? I’m with my friend,” Red Wine supplied, pointing over to Steak, who was clearly looking for him from his barstool. Tempura’s face fell. 

“I’ll text you my address,” Red Wine said, before leaving Tempura, and walking back over to Steak. 

“Where’d you go?”

“I went and took care of the Sanma Shioyaki business. I have his number, we can go,” Red Wine said, dropping his sweet act immediately. 

“How the hell did you get Samna Shioyaki’s number?” Steak asked. 

From the coherency of Steak’s words and the lack of the glassy look in his eyes, Red Wine suspected Steak wasn’t as drunk as before. 

“How did you sober up so fast?”

Steak shrugged. 

“I just burnt the alcohol from my blood. It’s not all gone though.”

Red Wine stared at him incredulously. Steak spoke as if people just burned alcohol from their veins every day. 

“Why didn’t you get all of it?” Red Wine asked, placing his glass on the bar. 

“Makes me sweat.”

Red Wine sucked in a quick breath. The image of Steak sweating for other reasons filled his mind, and he shoved them away. The alcohol really was getting to him. 

“Call us a ride home. I’ll pay the bill,” the Vampire said, getting ready to flag Yellow Wine down. 

“Don’t worry about it. I already paid.”

Red Wine’s jaw dropped. He had two glasses of Screaming Eagles Cabernet and Steak was planning on paying for all of it? And that wasn't including the 20 shots they split up. 

“What a gentleman,” Red Wine said teasing, but with a bit of truth underneath. He knew he would be sick tomorrow and probably the days following. The downside to Vampires drinking was that the blood to alcohol ratio in their bodies was always so skewed, but because it pumped so slowly through their bodies, he usually didn't feel the effects for a while.

Steak couldn’t tell if Red Wine’s comment was supposed to be a compliment, so he just huffed. The two didn’t try to say anything more over the loud music, and when their ride was there, they exited Parisel.

Outside, their ears were still ringing. 

Steak had staggered a bit through the bar, and Red Wine groaned, letting the Demon rest his weight on him. This close, Steak’s warm body heated Red Wine’s cold skin, and the blood thrumming underneath was like a symphony singing for him. 

Steak didn’t like being this close to Red Wine, but would be worse off without, so he accepted his help to get to the car. 

Yogurt had come to pick them up, and she got out to open the back seat for them when they got outside. 

“Are you two alright?” she asked, a bit worried about her boss’ condition. 

“He’ll be fine, just make sure you take care of him,” Red Wine responded. The climbed into the back seat of the car and Steak strapped himself in with the seat belt. 

For a while they rode in silence. While he may have found the other insufferable, Steak had to say, Red Wine knew how to drink. Maybe that’s where his alias came from. 

Staring dazed at the Vampire, Steak dimly realized why people seem to be so attracted to them. Such pale translucent skin made Red Wine seem like some ethereal being- like a statue cut from marble, made to look so gentle, but in reality cold and stiff. His hair seemed so smooth and soft, and before he realized what he was doing, Steak had reached over and closed the distance between them to twist the dark ponytail around his fingers.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Red Wine asked, but strangely, didn’t pull away. Seeming to realize how weird he was acting, Steak pulled his hand away.

“Looked soft,” he mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open to look at Red Wine. The Vampire was studying him closely, as if trying to figure out what Steak was thinking.

“You have seem to become impossibly more idiotic while drunk,” Red Wine scoffed, making sure to keep his voice down so Yogurt didn’t have to hear their conversation.

“You’re an asshole, but we make a great team, you know?” Steak said, his words slurring slightly. Had the Demon been more sober, he’d see the light pink tinting Red Wine’s elegant cheekbones.

“As loathe as I am to say it, I agree. Even though tonight you were pretty useless.”

“Hey! I talked with Yellow Wine!” he exclaimed. 

“Yeah, yeah.”

Red Wine sat there for a few awkward moments, wondering if Steak would respond, just when he was wondering if the Demon had fallen asleep, he spoke.

“Is it true? That thing about Vampires liking Demon blood?” Steak asked, and when Red Wine turned to look at him, Steak was staring at his face. Red Wine swallowed hard. 

It was a truth that both Angel and Demon blood were desirable to Vampires, although no one ever saw the former. It was something Red Wine had noticed immediately - the smell of Steak’s blood, and how drawn he was to it. Even now, despite having fed two days prior, the only thought on his mind was sinking his fangs into Steak’s neck and tasting the delicacy he could only chance a whiff of through his skin. 

“Absolutely not. Who would be attracted to your blood? I wouldn’t even feed your blood to a dog,” he lied, turning away.

Steak smile, _actually_ smiled. 

“You’re lying. You always blow things way out of proportion when you lie.” 

Red Wine scoffed, but his cheeks colored at the bold statement. He didn't want to admit how good Steak looked without his perpetual scowl. Also they had known each other for only a few weeks, and while they may have spent a lot of that time together, Steak wasn’t perceptive enough to pick up on Red Wine's attempts at lying, was he?

“I do not!”

“You do too.”

Red Wine decided not to argue with him, and the two sat in silence for the rest of the car ride. When they got to the Demon’s base, which was closer, Steak turned to Red Wine. 

“Are you staying?”

The implications of his question were too great to ponder, and Red Wine sucked in a shocked breath. 

“No!” 

“Right, right, of course, sorry for asking,” Steak said, unbuckling his seat belt and opening the door. “I’ll make sure Yogurt takes you home.”

Having Steak worry for him was odd, and Red Wine felt his stomach turn either in revulsion or excitement, and based on the breathlessness he felt, he would assume it was the latter. Gross. 

Having any sort of feelings for Steak would be disastrous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> progress. ProGRESS. PROGRESS!
> 
> Come add me in Food Fantasy!!! I'm N.L.


	8. Part I: Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, but I figured I'd have Steak do some actual gang-related errands, since we haven't seen much of that. I'll be posting the following chapter tonight as well to make up for the lack of content in this one, though we do see an interesting plot development!!
> 
> Once again, Calder is an OC not owned by me but by a friend Des. We're both on Food Fantasy and in the L A R R Y guild if you wanna check us out! 
> 
> I also realized I've just been saying "the City". This story takes place in Hilena!

The following morning found Red Wine out of sorts. 

“You know you’re not supposed to be drinking,” Gingerbread said towards Red Wine, who was nursing a glass of water and a tremendous headache. 

“I had to prove I’m better than Steak.”

“By _drinking_?” Gingerbread asked incredulously. 

Said aloud, it didn’t really sound like the best idea. Or even a good idea. 

“I know, it was foolish,” Red Wine said, not wanting to be scolded by Gingerbread anymore. The blonde just sighed. 

“You’d think you’d grow out of the alcoholism after a couple of centuries but no. I can’t have you dying on me a second time,” she said, a hint of worry laced in her tone. 

Red Wine winced. 

He didn’t like talking about how he was turned. He should’ve truly died that night instead of becoming undead, and his obsession with alcohol was to blame. Nowadays they had AA, but back in Red Wine’s time, you either died or stopped drinking as much, and at a young age when he thought he was invincible and knew everything, he nearly died of alcohol poisoning. 

Gingerbread had saved him.

He downed the glass of water. 

“Let me run it out of my system and I’ll be fine,” Red Wine said, making his way back towards his bedroom. Gingerbread let him pass, but when he walked by her she smiled. 

“By the way, who was that new sponsor you brought in late last night?” she asked knowingly. 

Red Wine groaned and didn’t even grace her with an answer, choosing instead to sleep off his Vampire hangover.

Steak, on the other hand, was doing fine. 

Not wanting to bother with the negative side effects of alcohol, he burnt it from his blood before going to bed, and after a shower to wash off the excess sweat, he was in prime condition. There were few details he could remember after deciding to do 20 shots with Red Wine, but he remembered Red Wine mentioning he got Sanma Shioyaki’s contact information. 

He sent him a text message asking for it. 

He walked out of his bedroom and decided to make himself some coffee while he waited for a response. 

Steak lived in a small apartment attached to the large building that housed their gang’s base. Being the leader of the Demon’s in Hilena meant that he received certain privileges. Scrolling through his phone he saw reminders for thing he’d have to do today. The murders had been taking up his time, so he was a bit behind. He needed to collect money and supplies from different places and sighed. Those missions wouldn’t require much backup. Most people usually sent grunt workers to do menial tasks like collecting debts and shipments, but Steak’s father had ruled that way, and Steak hated it. The Demon lived now by a saying. 

If you’re too big for the small stuff, you’re too small for the big stuff. 

There wasn’t any way that such a young Demon would garner the respect from his gang and the community by force, and so he relied on his trustworthiness and passion to win over helpful individuals. It was all part of his lifelong plan to change the Demons’ image and actually give back when he could. 

A message popped up on his screen. 

_Meeting today at the Hilena Public Library_

It was from Yogurt, who was currently working in the office. Steak had nearly forgotten about that meeting, and he was grateful for the reminder. 

_To: Yogurt_

_thanks. let purnimas know im coming for their payment today_

Yogurt thumbs-upped the message, causing Steak’s eyebrows to furrow. He didn’t even know you could do that. 

His coffee beeped, signifying it was done, and he poured a cup as he read through news on his phone. 

A fitness blog that he had subscribed to had a feature about Tempura, and the memory of seeing Red Wine wrapped in his arms came back to Steak. He felt a rush of unexplained anger, and set his phone down. Trying to calm himself, he took a sip of his coffee. He still hadn't received a response.

He didn’t know why that memory came to his head or why he got so inexplicably upset about it, but it may have had something to do with the faint memory to touching Red Wine’s hair and the face the Vampire made when he did so. 

He didn’t want to think about it. 

It didn’t take Steak that long to get dressed and ready for the day, and he walked down the stairs that led to the base. 

He made sure to at least give a nod of acknowledgement to the people he passed, and when he went into his office, he found paperwork stacked on his desk. At the sight of it, Steak groaned. He sat down at his desk and began sorting through it. Some were requests for help, whether it be security, money, or information. Others were detailed and itemized lists of potential missions and projects the gang could take on. Some paperwork was the necessary information for the errands he was running today. 

Getting out of his chair, he stuck his head out of his office. 

“Calder!” he shouted, waiting to see the familiar mop of brown hair before going back into his office to grab the keys for one of their gang’s cars. 

“Yeah?” the aforementioned man asked when he got to Steak’s office. 

“I need you to come with me to collect some money. Make sure you bring your brass knuckles,” Steak said. He didn’t like resorting to violence, but there was always a worst case scenario he needed to keep in mind. 

Calder seemed excited to actually have a task with action, and following Steak’s orders, went to their weapons storage. 

They took one of their black sedans out to the restaurant that they had given a loan out to. Considering Steak had been swamped, they were arriving two days late. He had made sure to give ample warning that he was coming today, and when they parked and walked in, they were greeted by the slightly nervous looking owner. 

“Would you mind coming to the back please?” she asked, and Steak gave Calder a look. The brunet cracked his knuckles, just as a warning that they were ready to fight if it resorted to that. Not that Steak anticipated there being any violence with this meeting, but when he was new to this position, he had some clients hire out Strength Mages as muscle in order to get around paying. It never worked, but Steak tried to stay cautious of those situations. 

“Sure,” Steak said, following the shorter girl to her office. 

“I didn’t want to talk about the payment in front of the customers,” she explained. “I have all but one thousand, but I can have that to you by the end of the week.”

A person who seemed like the second owner was in the room as a witness, and Steak could tell the girl was clearly frightened. She had taken out a loan from them as a last ditch effort to start up her restaurant. The interest rate was high, and consequences for missing payments were steep, but she was young and in a bad place. Her father used to work with the Demons for the drug trade, but Steak severed that tie long ago. 

“We’ll take what you have now, but I will expect the remaining thousand by Sunday,” Steak said.

The owner breathed a sigh of relief, and she went to a safety deposit box and took out an envelope with cash. Carefully, Steak counted it up, and took out his counterfeit pen to make sure the bills were all real. 

The payment was the agreed upon price, and he tucked the envelope into his jacket pocket. 

“Thanks for doing business with you, I’ll be sure to stop by and try some of the food,” Steak commented. “Is there anywhere I can smoke.”

The wide-eyed store owner wore a surprised expression. 

“Oh, uh, sure. We usually let people smoke in the back. It’s to your left and out the door.”

“Thanks,” Steak said, heading that way and motioning for Calder to follow. 

“I was really looking forward to seeing some action,” the brunet sighed when it was just the two of them. Steak was glad they _didn’t_ see any action. He knew Calder was good in a fight, which is why he brought him, but he’d take an easy collection over a brawl any day. 

Outside, Steak lit his cigarette with his lighter. There wasn’t much in this alley except the dumpster, and Steak let the nicotine relax him. From the dumpster, they heard a rattle. 

_Probably a cat._ Steak thought, taking another drag from his cigarette. 

When the rattling continued, followed by a groaning noise, Steak dropped his cigarette, pulling out his switchblade. 

From the dumpster came a horrific monster. It was a black, oozing ball of refuse, and had a gaping mouth lined with teeth. To move, it rolled and bounced lightly, and it shambled towards the two groaning and gasping the whole time. 

“What the fuck is that?!” Steak asked, pointing his switchblade towards it. 

“I have no clue, but I’m not touching that thing!”

Considering the size of its mouth and the danger of having something cut by those razor sharp teeth, Steak shot a line of flame at it. As the creature went up in flames, it screamed, letting off a disgusting order. 

Steak continued the assault until it stopped moving, and when he was sure it was dead, he walked closer to the creature. 

“How was that for action?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely think the Fallen Angels in the Uke Mochi line are the grossest ones.


	9. Part I: Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was definitely getting Howl vibes from Howl's Moving Castle when writing Red Wine in this chapter.

Steak wasn’t sure if he could send the monster they’d found to the police. Along with the murders, information about horrifying unknown monsters would cause people to panic. Therefore, Steak had their in house lab run some tests on the residue left behind from the burning. 

It was only a few days after the incident that the lab came back with the results that the monster’s body was created of mostly human remains. 

If Steak hadn’t been so desensitized to horrifying truths, he would’ve barfed. 

He had some members of the lab continue to work on researching it. Steak simply had too much on his plate to also worry about weird monsters showing up. 

He passed the information on to Red Wine, who still hadn’t contacted him since they went to Parisel. There was a hint of worry that something had happened to the Vampire, so he hopped on his bike to head to their manor. He hid it under the guise of asking for information on Sanma Shioyaki, and that it would be on his way to work out a delivery at the wharf. 

He rang the buzzer at the gate when he arrived. 

“State your business,” Gingerbread’s flat voice said through the intercom. 

“It’s Steak, I need some information from Red Wine.”

Without a response, the gate opened and Steak drove his bike up the driveway and parked it near the front door. 

Gingerbread came out to see him.

“Red Wine’s out of commission, but I can get you the information you need.”

While it would explain why he wasn’t responding to any texts or calls, Steak couldn’t help but worry if he was sick, and if he’d contracted the same sickness as Salty Tofu. 

“I just need some contact info he got from when we went to Parisel,” Steak said. 

“Oh, okay, come on in.”

Steak had been here a few times now, but hadn’t been to the top level, so Steak was a little wary when she began to lead them up the stairs. 

There seemed to be a few doors on this floor and Gingerbread went to the end of the hall and knocked on a door. 

From the other side, he heard a groan before Red Wine said “come in.”

In the large bed in the center of the room was Red Wine, looking haggard. His dark hair was splayed across his dark pillows and the gothic design of the room didn’t help keep Red Wine from looking like a corpse. 

“Steak needs some contact info from you.”

At hearing Steak’s name, Red Wine sat up quickly. 

“Get out!” he shouted, eyes suddenly looking lively. 

“Hell no, you’ve been ignoring my texts. I don’t care if you’re sick, we have a job to do,” Steak said, crossing his arms. In reality he did care if Red Wine was sick, but aside from looking like he needed some vitamin D and a meal, he seemed fine. Looking at Red Wine’s disheveled and dressed down state made memories from the night at Parisel come back to him, and with an embarrassing realization, he remembered he touched Red Wine’s hair. 

More embarrassingly enough he asked him to spend the night.

“Yeah, Red, and it’s your fault for drinking so damn much in the first place,” Gingerbread commented walking over towards his bed. “You look fine, so stop acting like a drama queen.” 

Red Wine glared at her. 

“Fine, I’ll get up, but let me get dressed.”

Gingerbread rolled her eyes but shooed Steak out of the room. 

“We’ll be in the living room,” she said before shutting the door. Groaning, she began to lead Steak to the living room. 

“Does he always get like that when he drinks?” Steak asked, feeling a little guilty. 

“Vampires aren’t supposed to drink alcohol. Because we don’t have any blood and our kidneys are virtually peas, we can’t filter it out and it damages organs and tissues and all sorts of stuff. Sweet Tofu has had him on detox the past few days.”

Now Steak felt really horrible. 

“I didn’t know. I’ll make sure next time he doesn’t drink,” he said. It was weird feeling responsible for Red Wine, but it was the only thing he could do right now. 

Gingerbread shrugged as she plopped down on a grey couch. 

“It’s not like there’s ever much anyone can do to stop him. He’ll drink himself to a second grave if he has his own say in things.”

The personal information about Red Wine caught Steak’s attention, and he gave Gingerbread a quizzical look, hoping she would continue. 

“Centuries ago, when he was still human, we used to be friends in the same town. We were both nobles and were engaged to each other for a short while, until we were turned.”

“Engaged? To that prick?”

Gingerbread grinned. “I know, can you believe it? We were turned together, when he nearly died because of his long term affinity for alcohol. Though we call it alcoholism now. I dragged his sorry ass to a Vampire I’d happened to uncover that lived in our town,” she said. In her words, Steak could hear a wistfulness, and her eyes seemed as though she was looking at something far away. 

Steak would’ve never guessed that Red Wine would have such a tragic history. Though, he doubted many Vampires were turned willingly and had great back stories. 

“What are you in here chattering about?”

Red Wine’s voiced disrupted the brief pause that had happened from their conversation. If he had heard them talking, then he probably caught the tail end of Gingerbread’s explanation. 

“Oh, nothing!” she said, slouching in her chair. Red Wine gave her a hard look before turning to Steak. 

The Vampire hadn’t been bothered to put his hair up, so it fell lightly to his shoulders, which were nearly exposed by a billowing white shirt that seemed the same shade as his skin. The black pants he worse seemed fitted but comfortable, and he had even donned elaborate necklaces and earrings. 

“So, you needed Sanma Shioyaki’s contact information?” Red Wine said, flipping through his phone. He scowled at the missed calls and messages before opening a new one to send to Steak. He attached the number and sent it. “Was that the only thing you came for?”

Steak couldn’t respond that he was checking up on Red Wine, because that might give the Vampire the implication that he actually cared about him or something. 

“I encountered a monster the other day,” Steak said. Gingerbread perked up in her seat and Red Wine gave a bemused expression. 

“What kind of monster?”

“It kind of looked like a rotting meatball with a mouth,” Steak described, trying to bring forth the image of the grotesque creature. “I have some people at our lab working on it.”

“You have a _lab_?” Red Wine scoffed. 

“Of course, how are we supposed to know if our drugs aren’t cut with anything?”

Steak said it so matter-of-factly that Red Wine couldn’t argue. 

“Have they come back with anything?” Gingerbread asked, to save Red Wine the trouble of doing it. 

Steak leaned back on the couch. 

“They said it’s mainly comprised of human remains. It smelled horrible.”

“So you mean to tell me that not only are we having to deal with whatever sickness that is taking over Salty Tofu, but we also have monsters beginning to crop up?” Red Wine asked. Every part of him knew he would get overwhelmed with all the work, but this was his family, and if Steak was bringing it up now, then there was the possibility the two things were connected. And if they were connected then it would be Red Wine’s responsibility to get to the bottom of it. 

The Vampire sighed. 

“I think we need to break this down into more manageable pieces,” Red Wine sighed. “A group should be made specifically to hunt down, destroy, and research these monsters as covertly as possible. I assume you haven’t told the police?”

Steak shook his head. 

“Chief Valencia is barely responding to any updates I send. Apparently there have been a rise in DUIs, and more deaths from drunk driving, so they’re spending all their resources researching a probable cause.”

Red Wine pursed his lips at that, and Gingerbread looked over. They took a moment of silence. 

“Excuse me.”

The three turned to see Sweet Tofu standing at under the large archway that separated the living room from the dining room. 

“I overheard you mentioning creating a task force? Is it related to what’s happening with my brother?” 

“It’s very possible it is,” Steak answered. 

“I’d like to help, if I could. Nothing I’ve done so far has seemed to be any help.” 

He was too hard on himself, and Red Wine knew it, but while he may have considered Salty Tofu his brother and a fellow member of the clan, he was Sweet Tofu’s actual brother, and he knew their relationship was…peculiar. He couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him. 

Steak looked shock at the volunteer. 

“Sure, we can work out the logistics later, but I’ll let you know.”

Sweet Tofu nodded and left the room. 

“So I guess that’s our next order of business,” Gingerbread said.


	10. Part I: Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for the past few days my internet has been COMPLETELY out because something broke in my computer, which is why I haven't updated, however, some mystical being decided to bless my computer with some internet so I'm going to post some chapters. 
> 
> I've been hard at work writing this story and I have 17 chapters currently written (holy cow!!) I figured in this chapter Steak could flex a little! Also when will I stop relying on Calder the precious sweet child to help progress plot (hint: never). Once again, Calder does not belong to me, but my friend Des! Feel free to come talk to us on the SteakWine Discord: https://discord.gg/2jrfTaR
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Steak had actually been grateful to meet with Red Wine and Gingerbread. 

They made a plan for going forward, especially since the situation had become even more dicey. 

Their first priority was building their Monster Task Force so that those people could get started. Since Steak was Chief Valencia’s point person, Red Wine was designated to be the point person for the task force. Considering it would be comprised mostly of Half-Demons and one Vampire, Gingerbread wanted to make sure there was more evenness and equality. Sweet Tofu would be in charge of the actual task force, working both in the field and in the lab. 

Their second priority was finding Jax Perceval’s dog. 

They would need to do some investigative work to know what it looked like, considering when he texted Wonton, he said he didn’t get a clear picture of the dog as it ran away. 

Their third priority was getting in touch with Sanma Shioyaki to communicate with the dog and get any additional details. From there they would figure out their next steps. Like he said he would, Steak went to the wharf to iron out the final details of their seafood shipment from Sakurajima. He learned quickly that more than drugs and weapons, the buying and selling of food, especially imported goods. Everyone needed food, and many restaurants would pay a pretty penny to get the freshest ingredients without having to worry about the shipment themselves, since Steak could sell them imported ingredients for the same price an individual could buy them. 

After settling his business at the wharf, he returned to his base to come up with a list of people he could send to the task force, it didn’t need to be large, but he needed enough people to be able to work field and lab. It also needed to be people who would work and be cordial with the Vampires. 

He hadn’t gotten very far before something else took his attention, so he was working on it now, two days later.

Milk came into his office while he was pondering through all his members. 

“Have you eaten yet?” 

Steak looked up at her and sighed. 

“Not yet.”

Milk closed his office door behind her and walked over to Steak, placing her hands in his hair and massaging his scalp. Steak sighed into the touch, not realizing how tensed and stressed he’d become. She was the only one besides his mother who ever did this for him, and he found himself incredibly grateful for it. 

“You seemed very stressed lately. Is there anything I could help with?” she asked while still rubbing his head. She purposefully ignored the area around his horns, knowing how sensitive they were. 

It took him a second to respond, using the moment to relish in peace for the first time in a while. 

“Actually, yes. I need a task force put together for those monsters we found. The one you’ve been working on in the lab?” 

Milk’s fingers stopped for a moment before continuing. “There’s more?”

“I’m guessing so. Lots of strange things have been happening and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more,” Steak commented. “I need a field team to fight and capture the monsters, and I need a lab team to research them.”

“I could put one together for you. Black Tea would probably be interested if you wanted to open it up to other individuals.”

Steak scowled at the mention of the Elemental Mage, but he realized he probably couldn’t close it, considering Sweet Tofu was in charge and this needed to be a joint effort. 

“Put her name down. Would she work with you in the lab?” 

“No,” Milk hummed, “We’d work in the field together.”

Steak startled at that. 

“The field? You can’t work in the field!”

Milk’s expression didn’t change. “Of course I can. Especially if Black Tea is with me. They have to have someone who can heal them in case of emergencies.”

He guessed she had a good point, but the idea of sending Milk out in the field left a sour taste in his mouth. She was the only other person he could call a friend. 

“Who else should be on the field team, then?” he asked. Milk removed her hands from his red hair. 

“This sounds like the perfect opportunity for us to go get lunch.”

Since it was just the two of them, Steak decided to ride his motorcycle. He’d been driving cars recently, and he missed the feel of his bike. Milk got on behind him, and wrapped her arms around his stomach. Steak had to admit, the feeling of another body against him was nice, even though he didn’t like girls. 

They rode to Purnima’s, taking the opportunity to set a positive precedent after nearly terrifying the girl to death when he collected her money. The ride was unceremonious and they reached the restaurant quickly. 

“So now that you’ve got me out for lunch, are we going to talk about the task force?” Steak asked, putting down the kickstand on his motorcycle. 

“Of course.” 

When they entered, an unfamiliar face showed them to a table and gave them menus. 

“It’s nice to see you again Ms. Milk,” the hostess said with a smile. “What will you be getting today?”

Without Steak looking at the menu, Milk ordered appetizers and entrees for both of them. Steak didn’t argue. He trusted her judgment. 

“I assume you’ve been here before.”

“I try to visit the restaurants we service often. Since someone rarely does,” she said, handing her and Steak’s menu over. 

“I try,” Steak said defensively. 

“Sure,” Milk commented. “Anyways, about your teams. I’d put Calder on the field team of course.”

“Why Calder?”

Milk gave him a blank look. Granted, most of her looks were blank looks. “You must have seen him in a fight. He takes chances on being close distance and can be a bit reckless, but with proper support and back-up he can make an essential team member.”

Steak was starting to get the impression that this entire gang would go under without Milk’s help. Not that he was incompetent, but Milk was thinking of things Steak never thought to think of. He pulled out a notepad and wrote Milk, Black Tea, and Calder’s names down. Over all of them he wrote Sweet Tofu, with a line towards Red Wine. After talking with Gingerbread, he learned that their clan was actually fairly small, so they didn’t have anyone else besides Sweet Tofu to spare for the task force.

The two talked, developing a list of people to work in both the lab and in the field. When he got back to the base, he would have to send over all their files to Red Wine and Sweet Tofu to make sure they all checked out. 

Their lunch was delicious, and it didn’t take them long at all to finish and pay. Steak was eager to get back to his office and continue work. Once they returned, he walked straight for his desk. 

“Steak, wait.”

He turned at the sound of Milk’s voice. She wore a worried look. 

“You’re overworking yourself lately. Make sure you take a break and relax from time to time.”

Relax. Funny. 

He didn’t have time to relax. Even though Salty Tofu was locked up, they couldn’t hesitate on getting these details pinned down and stopping any future possible murders. In between his work he only really had time for smoke breaks. His muscles had been tense and out of shape from not exercising in a while, not to mention his increased libido.

Steak nodded anyways, he’d figure something out so that Milk wouldn’t be so worried. 

At his office, he sent a text to Red Wine, telling him in advance that he would e-mail him and Sweet Tofu the files of the men he’d selected to work for the task force, and if they were approved, they could get to work ASAP. 

_From: Vampire Idiot_

_Your horrible typing has put me through torture this entire month._

_But that sounds good. You can e-mail them to me and I will forward them to Sweet Tofu._

Steak didn’t even feel aggravated at Red Wine’s comment. At this point it was just business as usual for them. The Demon had been surprised at how well Red Wine worked. He was extremely competent and thorough, despite basically being an elderly person with how long he lived. The Vampire actually picked up new skills and information quickly, and had a sharp mind that matched his witty tongue. 

It was as infuriating as it was refreshing. 

This job would be 10 times harder without Red Wine, as loathe as Steak was to say that. And as much as he tried to deny it, having a partner and working on this case was kind of fun. He always had Milk to rely on, but she simply lightened his work load and listened to his orders. Steak hadn’t ever had someone that kept him on his toes and challenged him the way Red Wine did. 

Iron sharpens iron. Was that the saying?

He was interrupted from his thoughts by his phone ringing. 

It was Spaghetti. 

“What?”

_”Hey lil’ bro,”_ the older Half-demon greeted. Steak knew immediately he was going to ask for a favor. _”Could I borrow some money?”_

Irritated, Steak bit through his teeth to try and sound pleasant. “How much money?”

“Not much, like 15 grand.”

Steak sighed. What in the world could Spaghetti need $15,000 for?

“For what?”

_”So many questions! I need to buy a new car.”_

Steak paused for a moment. It wasn’t nearly as bad as Spaghetti’s other favors, and Steak usually relied on his older brother to get information for him, so indulging him wouldn’t be too bad. 

“I can wire it to you,” Steak said. He heard Spaghetti cheer on the other side of the phone. 

_”Thanks, Steak! I owe you,”_ he said before he hung up. Spaghetti seemed in pleasant spirits, which meant he wouldn’t be a thorn in Steak’s side. 

The Demon rubbed at his temples. He really was stressed out.

\-----x~*~x-----

He had originally come to Hamburger’s place to get laid, but so far, the Strength Mage wouldn’t stop _talking_. And talking about Cola much to no one’s surprise.

“He said what?” Steak asked, honestly barely paying attention. If he had known this would turn all mushy, he would’ve stayed at the base and tried to find lead on Jax Perceval’s dog. 

“Yeah! He asked me the other day. He said ‘Hamburger, how do you feel about guys liking other guys?’”

With as much enthusiasm as he could muster, Steak asked him another question. “So, what did you tell him?”

“I told him…” Hamburger trailed off before getting a panicked look on his face. “I didn’t say anything! I totally spaced out! I said ‘okay’ and left. Ugh, I’m such an _idiot_.”

Even Steak, who was known for having no tact and understanding few, if any, social situations, could tell that was a mistake. 

“You should probably clear that up then,” the Demon said, popping his back. “Can we fuck now?”

Hamburger made a face of distaste. 

“Fine, but tonight’s the last night.”

Steak could take that, at least he’d have some time to find someone to hook-up with before he needed it again. He leaned over the space on the couch and licked up Hamburger’s neck, pulling his own shirt out of his pants where it had been tucked in. Hamburger worked on undressing himself until they were naked on Hamburger’s couch. Without hesitation, Steak’s mouth found itself on one of the Strength Mage’s nipples, swirling the nub with his tongue. Beneath him, Hamburger shuddered. 

He knew how much Hamburger enjoyed this, and he reached down to jerk him off as he sucked on his nipples. Hamburger let his head fall back against the arm rest, letting out a low moan. Steak continued teasing him with his mouth until the other was hard. There was no intimacy or cherishing moments with their arrangement; everything was just a means to an orgasm.

Steak looked around the room when Hamburger was panting and writhing beneath him. 

“Do you have any lube?” Steak asked, only slightly hard. 

“Just use spit or something.”

It was Steak’s turn to make a disgusted face. Even if he didn’t have any mushy feelings for Hamburger, he was still a decent guy that knew that anal with no lube would just be a bad time, and that spit was no substitute. 

“Hell no. I’m getting the lube.”

“They do it in pornos all the time!” Hamburger wailed as Steak got up to walk to his bedroom. 

“And you think that shit is what happens in real life?”

It didn’t take him long to find the lube in Hamburger’s bedroom, and he returned, pouring a generous amount on his fingers as he walked back. 

“I can’t believe we’re gonna have sex on my couch,” Hamburger said when Steak crawled on top of him. The Demon just shrugged, and placed a finger inside Hamburger to stretch him. “Ffffuck, that’s cold.”

Easily, Steak willed the fire inside of him to reach his fingers, lightly smoldering under his skin to warm the lube. Hamburger relaxed and let out soft pleasured breaths as Steak fingered him. Watching Hamburger for discomfort, Steak added more fingers. 

When he was done, he poured more lube on his fingers and rubbed his dick down with it.

“Raw fine?” he asked, stroking himself to a full erection. 

“Please,” Hamburger breathed. After coming together so many times for sex, Steak knew that Hamburger liked it raw, but he still asked, just in case he changed his mind because of what happened with Cola. 

Hamburger’s eyes watched him as he masturbated and when Steak flicked a burning gaze and saw the Strength Mage watching him, his breath hitched and he began stroking a little faster. 

When he was sufficiently hard, he wiped his lubed hand on his thigh and pushed into Hamburger, biting his lip to keep from making any embarrassing noises as he relished in the feeling of Hamburger squeezing around him. Hamburger, on the other hand, had no problem letting a low moan escape him, and panting when Steak was fully sheathed inside of him. 

“Move, move,” Hamburger pleaded and Steak pushed further inside of him before pulling out. Without warning, he slammed his entire length into Hamburger. 

“Fuck!” he cried out, arching his back off the couch and scrambling for purchase on Steak’s shoulder’s. Steak was pent up, and he unleashed all that stress by setting a brutalizing pace, leaving Hamburger coiling and screaming for more beneath him. 

Steak, wanting something to hold when he came, grabbed Hamburger’s loose hair. Since he hadn’t put it in a ponytail, the first thought that came to his mind was how much rougher it was in comparison to Red Wine. 

Once he thought about the Vampire, the image of him underneath Steak with his hair splayed across his dark, mahogany tinted pillows and flushed cheeks, Steak was coming quicker than he anticipated. 

“Fucking-!” he cursed through gritted teeth as he felt his orgasm hit him unexpectedly, his hips stuttering as he came inside Hamburger. 

The Strength Mage clenched around him to help him ride out his orgasm and reached down to stroke himself, bearing down on Steak’s dick to push himself over the edge. When Steak had come down from his high, panting, he realized with mortification what happened. He just came to the image of Red Wine beneath him. 

“Fuck”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always use lube, kids!
> 
> I'm glad I got to write both Hamburger and Spaghetti in this chapter!! I'm trying hard to make sure some minor characters don't just disappear off the face of the planet because of Red Wine and Steak.


	11. Part I: Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative chapter title: Red Wine rides Steak's Motorcycle

With the Monster Task Force organized and on its way, Steak and Red Wine could focus on their next objective: Finding Jax Perceval’s dog. 

For a week they canvased Jax’s neighborhood, and left dog food out, hoping that the pet would come home, but he didn’t. 

Wondering if maybe Jax put his number on the dog’s name tag, Steak asked Chief Valencia if he could have Jax’s phone. 

“And why would I give you that? It’s evidence for the case,” the chief said, extremely irritated at the Demon’s suggestion while he was in the middle of paperwork. 

Red Wine leaned casually against the wall of Chief Valencia’s office while he waited on Steak to try and handle the situation. 

“This is important for the case. We think that Jax may receive a phone call,” he explained. 

Chief Valencia responded without looking up. “Then we will answer it.”

“We need to answer it. There’s Empath Mages involved.”

The Chief of Police sighed loudly and looked at Steak hard. 

“Fine. Let me get you the damn phone.”

When Chief Valencia left, Steak smirked at Red Wine. The Vampire responded by huffing and averting his gaze. Steak didn’t know what that was about but he didn’t comment on it.   
They said nothing until Chief Valencia returned with the phone. 

“You guys will need a charger for it.”

They could handle that. 

When they stepped outside, the two of them realized a predicament. The two of them had met up at the police station, and Red Wine had been dropped off because their other cars were on loan. That wouldn’t be a problem except Steak brought his bike. 

“I’m not getting on that thing,” Red Wine said, crossing his arms. 

“Don’t be such a wet blanket, come on,” Steak said, walking over to his motorcycle and lifting the kickstand. 

Red Wine refused to move. 

“Are you afraid of riding a motorcycle?” Steak asked, in all seriousness, but his response just got a scoff from Red Wine, and the Vampire walked over. 

“Of course not, I just don’t want to ride with a dolt like you,” he complained. Steak grinned as he got on the bike, especially considering he got to ruffle Red Wine’s feathers a little.

“Well, it’s either that or walk, and it’s pretty hot out today,” Steak commented. Red Wine’s ruby gaze lowered. 

“You’re insufferable,” Red Wine said, but got on the bike behind Steak. He put an unnecessary amount of distance between them. 

“You’re going to have to get closer or you’ll fall off,” Steak said, putting his key in the ignition and turning it. At the loud roar of the engine, Red Wine scooted closer, but refused to grab onto Steak. That was okay, he’d change his tune once they started going.

Steak pulled off the curb and weaved towards the street. Before he even left the parking lot, Red Wine had wrapped his arms around him to hold on. Steak didn’t want to admit how nice it felt.

“Hold on tight.”

They raced towards the Demons’ base, weaving through the streets of Hilena. Steak was admittedly showing off a bit, but Red Wine’s arguing for him to “cut it out” or “stop doing that” made Steak nearly laugh. Nearly. 

When they reached their destination, Red Wine wasted no time in getting off the motorcycle and away from Steak. 

“Half of all that was unnecessary,” Red Wine said. 

“I know.”

The two of them walked in together bickering. After more than a month of them being nearly glued to the hip, no one was wary of the Vampire’s presence anymore. The two of them went to Steak’s office, where he had a charger for the type of phone Jax Perceval had. 

When he plugged it in, he went to the secretary office right across the hall. Surprisingly, Milt was working. 

“Can you call Omurice for me? I have a project for him.”

Omurice was a known hacker in the area. He worked any job as long as the pay was good, and Steak found use of his services every now and then. 

“Hopefully we’ll find some pictures of the dog on his phone as well.”

Not knowing what Jax’s dog looked like meant they were shooting in the dark. They tried to ask the neighborhood where he lived if they knew what his dog looked like, but no one seemed to know. 

Until Omurice got there, they wouldn’t be able to get into the phone because of the passcode, but Milt confirmed to them that he would be there today. 

Which meant Red Wine and Steak had nothing else to do until he got there. When they both realized this, they busied themselves with something else. Steak decided to review some requests made to their gang, and Red Wine sat on the couch against the far wall by the door, and checked on Sweet Tofu and his progress with the task force. 

Things had been weirdly personal and awkward since they went to Parisel, and unless they were in the thick of actually working on the case, strange tension developed between them whenever they were around each other. For Steak, it was infuriating, and he just wished that whatever tension would dissolve or get fixed. 

Especially since some of that tension was sexual in nature. 

Steak sighed and continued pouring through his requests. 

“What?”

The Demon looked up when he was spoken to. 

“What what?”

Red Wine rolled his eyes. “Don’t ‘what what’ me. Why did you just sigh like that?”

Steak hadn’t actually been aware of the sigh, and his face held a look of confusion. 

“Sigh like what?”

Red Wine couldn’t believe he was having such a pointless conversation. 

“Nevermind, it’s not even important.”

A silence rested over them again before Steak cleared his throat. 

“How come Gingerbread is only an acting head of your clan?” 

Red Wine, who was fiddling with his phone without reason, put it on the cushion to his side and crossed his legs. 

“She’s just second in command. The actual head of household for us is currently traveling.”

In such a crucial time for them, Steak wondered why the Vampire in charge would be gone. 

“Where is she?”

“She’s in Palata,” Red Wine answered. Steak was surprised to say the least. Palata was a war zone from the civil war that split the region in two. Even after a tentative treaty and border were built, there was still much restoration to be done, and the area was hellish. 

“Why would she be there?” Steak asked, genuinely curious. 

“The last update we got, she had found another Vampire, and as the head of our clan she makes it her duty to travel around with each member to deepen the bond before introducing them to the rest of the family,” Red Wine explain, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

“Did she do that with all of you?”

Red Wine scoffed, but he still wore a faint smile. “Of course. Though Cold Rice Shrimp is the only one that’s been with her alone. Both Gingerbread and I, and Sweet and Salty Tofu, were special cases.”

They continued talking about nothing in particular. Surprisingly, it felt comfortable, and Milt interrupted them to let them know Omurice had arrived. 

Red Wine didn’t know of this person, but when a young scraggly teen who looked like he hadn’t showered in a few days walked in, Red Wine was unimpressed. He wore a t-shirt with some girl on it. 

“Long time no see Mr. Steak! What do you need me to do?”

Steak walked over to the phone where it had been charging and handed it to Omurice. 

“Nice to see you Omurice, I need to get into this phone.”

“Pfffft, I thought you had an actual job for me,” Omurice said, fingers sliding over the screen deftly. 

After a few minutes of copying and pasting asterisks into the phone, he was in, and from there he fiddled with some more things. 

“Thumb print, please!” he said, grabbing Steak’s hand without permission. Red Wine was thoroughly floored by Omurice’s ability to quickly get into the phone. 

The blond gave the phone to Steak. 

“There, you should be able to do whatever you want with it now. I took away the passcode and just used thumb print ID.”

His ability was incredible. Red Wine and Steak didn’t even know you could do that with a phone. 

“How much do I owe you?” Steak asked, plugging the phone back up. 

Omurice waved his hand. 

“I like you so it’s no charge. I didn’t even have to bring out my headband.”

Steak knew from previous times working with Omurice that if he had a job that would take a good amount of concentration, he took out a headband of the Empath Mage and pop idol Jello to help hold back his blond fringe. 

“Okay, I won’t argue with that,” Steak said. Red Wine was still a bit floored, and when Omurice turned to him, he stuck out his hand. 

“Thank you for your help, I’m Red Wine by the way.”

Omurice shook his hand. 

“I’m Joel, but everyone calls me ‘Omurice’,” he introduced. 

“Why ‘omurice’?” Red Wine asked. 

“It’s in my screen name. Jello’s Omurice. Two of my favorite things,” he explained. 

Red Wine made a noise of understanding, and Milt came in to see Omurice out. Now, with Jax’s phone unlocked, they could pour through pictures and missed calls and see if his dog was anywhere to be found. 

They were getting one step closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it obvious I know nothing about hacking into a phone? I had to ask someone if it was possible and the explained it crazily to me, which just translates to vague details. 
> 
> I figured I'd post both chapter 10 and 11 together since they're both kinda short and transition-y. I might post chapter 12 too.


	12. Part I: Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we have 12 whole chapters you guys. I also wanna say that there are some things I have NO CLUE how they work (like Omurice getting into the phone last chapter) and so I Frankenstein reasoning together from logic, things I look up, and also taking liberties in an AU. 
> 
> And as if I didn't already have 500 characters to keep up with, I've introduced another one in this chapter! And we can watch Red Wine flex what he's been doing in the background!

_”We have your dog here at the Hilena Animal Shelter. But we have some bad news.”_

Steak waited with baited breath for the news. He had received a call on Jax Perceval’s phone and luckily, just as they suspected, his phone number was on a name tag or microchip for the dog. 

_”We tried calling you yesterday, your dog had been hit by a car. We did everything we could, but he passed away.”_

“Oh no,” Steak said, immediately deflating. Red Wine, who was with him, gave him a quizzical look. 

_”I’m so sorry. We’ve preserved the body in case you wanted to bury him.”_

There wasn’t anything Steak thought he could do with a corpse, but he figured the dog would need a burial. 

“Thank you, I’ll be by later to pick him up,” Steak answered before ending the call. 

“Did you find the dog?” Red Wine asked hopefully. 

“Yeah, but it’s dead. It was hit by a car,” Steak sighed. 

“Well, maybe Wonton could help look into his memories or something?” Red Wine said without missing a beat. Steak hadn’t even had that thought, and he was glad Red Wine’s mind worked faster than his in that moment. Not that he would admit it. 

“Do you think Wonton could spirit talk with a dead dog?” Steak asked, grabbing the keys for one of their cars. 

Red Wine pursed his lips. “I don’t think 'spirit talk' is the technical term for what he does.”

“Shut up,” Steak said, walking out of his office and holding the door for the Vampire. He locked it behind him. After doing so, he took out his phone to call Wonton. 

“Why is it that I always end up doing the work?” Steak said as the phone rang. 

“You definitely are not, I’m doing my fair share as well,” Red Wine commented. 

Steak let out a dry laugh. 

“Yeah, flirting with Tempura for Sanma Shioyaki’s number? Very helpful, espec- Oh, hello Wonton.” The call connected mid-sentence. Red Wine was furious that Steak thought he was slacking, and he was going to prove him wrong. But it could wait until after the phone call. 

_”What do you need?”_

“Can you do your spirit talk with dead animals?”

_”Uh…no? Because before I talk to a spirit, I have to be able to commune with the soul, and I have no experience in communing with animals.”_ Wonton said. There was a moment before he added: _”But I’ll see what I can do.”_

It was as if the universe was on their side. Not that they thought a dog’s spirit could tell them much, but doing something was better than nothing. Steak told the Empath goodbye before hanging up the call. Swiping his keys from him, Red Wine continued their trek to the car. 

“Before we pick up the dog, I’m taking you somewhere.”

“Those are my keys,” Steak said, following him. “Do you even have your license?”

“Of course I do,” Red Wine scoffed. “I’m not irresponsible.”

“Debatable,” Steak said as he opened the passenger door. 

“Oh please, between the two of us, you’re definitely more irresponsible.”

“Debatable,” Steak repeated. 

“You may be in charge of the Demon’s but you act like a 5 year old,” the Vampire commented as he started the car. 

“Debatable.”

Red Wine deadpanned at Steak. 

“Can you say anything other than ‘debatable’?”

Steak was silent for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. 

“Debatable.”

\-----x~*~x-----

Steak had no idea where they were going until they pulled up to the Church of Hilena. He got an immediate bad feeling about being here, every instinct in his body telling him to leave.

“So before we go in and you throw a fit, I need to tell you I’ve been working on something in private with the Church for a while now,” Red Wine said when he parked and stopped the car. 

Steak watched him warily and let him continue. 

“I’ve been wondering how come none of the other Vampires in our clan contracted the sickness Salty Tofu got. Sweet Tofu had been so focused on a cure and part of that was testing how the sickness was transmitted. Instead of using himself as a test subject, we’ve had someone else we’ve been doing the…experiments on.”

Steak didn’t like where this was going one bit. 

“Who is your test subject?”

Red Wine knew immediately that he probably should’ve presented the information differently, but there was no reason trying to sugarcoat the words. 

“He’s a criminal from centuries ago. It’s Bloody Mary.”

There wasn’t a single history class that didn’t talk about Bloody Mary. He started as a servant to an arguably demonic noble named Maria Terriere, who had been caught killing women and bathing in their blood to preserve her youth. Historians chronicling Bloody Mary’s life stated that he had no interest in harming people until after an accident which caused him to nearly lose his life. In a panic, the noble woman had him changed into a Vampire after months of being on death’s door, and when he awoke, he had an obsession for blood like no Vampire had before in history. He was the one who gave Vampires a bad reputation and whose stories scared small children. In school, Steak had learned that Bloody Mary had been punished and executed, so to think he was still alive was shocking. 

“You’re shitting me.”

“I’m not. I was the one who killed Maria Terriere. Bloody Mary and I have a long history,” Red Wine said, a grimace on his face. 

When Steak had originally heard what Red Wine had done, he was angry. Experimenting this sickness presumably with Salty Tofu’s blood seemed extremely reckless and inconsiderate. He got less angry when he heard it was being done to such a criminal, but it still left a sour taste in his mouth. It was one of those situations that seemed neither truly right nor truly wrong because of the context. 

He grumbled as he went along with Red Wine to the Church where Blood Mary was. As he stepped onto the hallowed ground of the property, the uncomfortable feeling inside him grew until he actually felt nauseous. The holiness was repelling him, but he powered through, so that they could get a little more clarity into the situation. A Vampire and a Demon together couldn’t possibly walk up to the front of the church without drawing attention, so Red Wine took Steak around back and showed him to an underground passage a ways off, where they could remain hidden until they got to the Church.

“This place is horrible,” Steak grumbled. Not only was it hallowed ground, but it was also dank and damp in the passage. Red Wine let out a light chuckle.

“Do try and bear it. We have important business here,” he commented, knocking on the large wooden doors.

“Sadist,” Steak grumbled, feeling the impulse to shiver.

“Oh, you don’t even know.”

Steak was surprised with his comment, but the large door unlocked relatively quickly from the inside, opening to reveal a stoic man.

“Red Wine. I wasn’t expecting you for another week,” the priestly man greeted.

“I’m here on other business. May we come in?” He asked with a forced sweetness. The priest looked towards Steak and furrowed his eyebrows.

“You’ve brought a Demon with you?” 

“He’s my companion. We’re looking into something together. We need to see Bloody Mary.” 

The priest frowned but opened the door wider, stepping aside to allow the two men through. 

The room they stepped into seemed to be an antiquated crypt, and when they passed through the threshold, the priest shut the door behind them.

“This way,” he said sternly, once the door was bolted, and walked towards a poorly hidden door.

“Pretzel, you’re so cold as always,” Red Wine commented.

“Could you not bring Demons into my church?” he replied quickly. Steak bit his tongue, only slightly pissed about being so unwelcome. But he could understand, he didn’t quite like the preach-y types either. 

They followed a winding trail until they got to a cell. As they approached, shackles moved, and when Pretzel lit the gas lights in the cellar, a young man in the cell was revealed.

“Holy shit,” Steak cursed, earning a sharp elbow in the side from Red Wine, who have him a pointed look that made it evident he needed to watch his mouth. It was evidently Bloody Mary in the cell, shackled casually, in Hilena of all places. 

“Any sign of fever?” Red Wine asked, leaning down to inspect the man in the cell.

“Ah, Red Wine, what a pleasant surprise,” the man said sarcastically. They all ignored him.

“No, he’s been perfectly fine since the injection.”

Red Wine pursed his lips. He turned towards Steak. 

“So far we’ve tried irritating the mucus membrane, ingestion, passing the sickness on through a weakening of the immune system from another infection, and injection. None of them have worked, it seems,” he explained. 

“He’s so warm,” Bloody Mary murmured, when he turned to Steak. The thin figure in the cell stood and pressed himself against the bars. “I’m so cold, won’t you come warm me up?”

It was known fact that Bloody Mary was not only known of his obsession from blood because of his Vampirism, but also his obsession with getting warm, and he hunted men down specifically, sometimes even masquerading as a woman to seduce them.

Steak scowled at Blood Mary. 

“Oh, look at those horns! You must be a Demon, what a treat,” the pale Vampire added, smiling wide and showing his fangs. Pretzel stuck his arm in front of Steak. 

“I suggest you step back before he gets a little too excited.”

“In hac die expiation erit vestry atque mundatio-“

Steak’s eyes widened. He hadn’t heard any Latin phrases from Vampric lips since his encounter with Salty Tofu. Red Wine’s eyebrows furrowed and Pretzel wore a look of shock. 

“He shouldn’t know Latin,” Pretzel commented. Red Wine turned to look at the priest. 

“Latin? That's not any Latin I've ever heard.”

“-vestris coram Domino mundabimini,” Bloody Mary finished before grinning and falling to his knees. 

“I think it’s time for you to go.” Pretzel was stern when he spoke, adjusting his glasses. He ushered them from the tunnel. As they left, Steak turned to Pretzel. If he had known that would’ve happened, he would’ve asked earlier about the Latin phrases he’d heard from Salty Tofu. 

“What was he saying?” Steak asked. The Vampire pursed his lips at having to wait around for more time than necessary. After their detour, they had to pick up Jax’s dog. 

“It was a text from Leviticus: 'for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord'.”

“I didn’t hear him say anything,” Red Wine commented. At least Steak knew for certain now he wasn’t the only one that could hear it. But why now? And if Bloody Mary hadn’t been infected with the sickness, did he just happen to decide to spout the Latin? From down in the corridor, they could hear Bloody Mary yelling and banging on his shackles. Pretzel closed the door. 

“Did Red Wine tell you anything about this sickness?” Steak asked. 

“He gave me vague details of what to expect if Bloody Mary showed any symptoms,” he said, pushing up his glasses. 

“One of the things I’ve noticed is that the uh…. _people_ who get sick with this virus begin speaking Latin phrases,” Steak explained. Pretzel’s eyes furrowed. 

“I’ve certainly never heard of a sickness that teaches people how to speak Latin,” he began. “And he showed no signs of sickness before, but it could be a reason why Bloody Mary said what he said just now. But why Latin?”

“It’s weird, I know, but it’s all texts about punishment and repent,” Steak responded. The biggest question seemed to be _why_ was speaking Latin a symptom of this murderous Vampire sickness. Nothing about the brain seemed changed in any of Sweet Tofu’s scans.

“I don’t really know what to tell you about that.”

“He’s been the only one that can hear it,” Red Wine chimed in. “Him and the victims of the murder streaks apparently. But now there’s you.”

“Peculiar. I’ll let you know if I find out anything. I’ll do some research.”

With another confusing piece to the puzzle added, Red Wine and Steak decided to take their leave. They had a dead dog to pick up.


	13. Part I: Finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter to Part I! I wanted to give this to you guys so that you could be left with some answers! Sike, it's just more questions! 
> 
> But I hope you enjoy! I've already finished Part II and I've a couple chapters into Part III, so you should be able to expect regular updates even through the Thanksgiving break! (As long as I my computer doesn't crash or something).

“Do you wanna hook up?”

Steak hadn’t thought much of asking the question. As much as he found Red Wine irritating, it was obvious that there was at least some attraction or tension, and Steak wasn’t the kind to beat around the bush. Since Hamburger had ended their arrangement nearly two weeks ago, Steak hadn’t been looking for anyone else to sleep with, and the only other person he would consider maybe doing it with was Red Wine, considering how convenient it would be. They saw each other nearly every day now recently.

But he had expected Red Wine to quickly decline and berate him. Instead, the reaction he got was much more shocking. 

Red Wine couldn’t help the red that went to his face, and he looked more shock than anything. 

“Why would you even ask something preposterous?!” he hissed, after a long pause and an awkward clearing of his throat. 

“Well, why not?” 

“Because you’re an idiot!”

Steak figured that was a fair point and he dropped the topic. Red Wine, on the other hand, while seeming completely calm and collected, was internally panicking. 

Why had Steak asked to hook up? Was he interested in that? Was he interested in _him_? Red Wine was reminded of when Steak had asked him to spend the night that night they went to Parisel. 

“Excuse me,” he said, standing up from Steak’s couch and leaving his office. 

Steak groaned, knowing he had just made everything weird. They were in the middle of a murder investigation for a member of his clan and Steak just made everything awkward by asking if he wanted to hook up. But then again, Steak was notorious for not thinking things through. It’s what he usually had Milk for, and recently, Red Wine. 

Just as he was regretting his decisions, he received a phone call from Wonton. 

“Hello?” 

_”So good news and bad news,”_ Wonton started, and Steak sighed. _”So I haven’t been successful in communing with any dead animals, but Tortoise said I could probably do it if I combined my magic with an Empath Mage’s who was good with animals.”_

“So I just need to get you an Empath Mage and you could commune with Jax’s dog’s spirit?”

_”His name was Tartuffe, thank you very much,”_ Wonton corrected. 

“What does that even mean?”

_”Tortoise says it’s the name of some character in an important play or something.”_

Steak hummed. 

“So I just need to get you an Empath Mage?” he asked, tapping his pen on his desk. Red Wine at that moment walked it, looking irritated. 

_”Yeah, it should theoretically work,”_ Wonton said. _”And of course you’d be paying me extra for working with another Mage.”_

“I’ll pay whatever you want, I just want this case finished.”

_”That’s what I like to hear.”_

After saying their goodbyes, Steak hung up. 

“What was that about?” Red Wine asked, crossing his legs. 

“Tartuffe.”

Red Wine furrowed his eyebrows. “Like the Enlightenment comedy by Molière?”

Steak was just as confused. “What?”

“Tartuffe. It’s a play by Molière.”

“No,” Steak said, realizing the confusion. “Jax’s dog is named Tartuffe.”

“Ah, I see. What about him?”

Steak recounted what Wonton had told him, and Red Wine pulled out his phone. 

“Well, that just means we call Sanma Shioyaki,” he said, calling the appropriate number. After ringing a few times, it went to voice mail.

_”This is Sanma Shioyaki’s cell phone. Thank you for calling. If your request is personal or private, please hang up, and call again. If you are interested in hiring for an Animal Empath, please leave a message with an e-mail address and a representative will get back with you as soon as possible for availabilities.”_

After the scripted message, there was a beep, and Red Wine launched into giving a brief synopsis of the issue. He didn’t mention that they were working for Hilena’s police department, which could be good or bad depending on how Sanma Shioyaki would take that information. He left an e-mail at the end of the voice mail. 

“Let’s hope he responds soon,” Red Wine said after hanging up. He stood, looking as if he was about to leave.

“How’s the task force coming along?” Steak asked, feeling a strange compulsion to keep Red Wine talking to him. 

Red Wine seemed surprised he asked. 

“They found a few more of those monsters. It seems there’s different variations and the all seem hostile. They’re currently working on taking one alive to study,” Red Wine explained. Steak nodded, and then realized he couldn’t feasibly continue conversation anymore. 

Red Wine took his leave, and Yogurt, who was working as secretary today, saw him out. 

Steak groaned and plopped his head on his desk. 

Why was he being so weird?

\-----x~*~x-----

After his awkward encounter with Red Wine, Steak knew he would need to hit the gym and exercise or maybe spar. He texted Hamburger about meeting up to spar, and they encountered their regular routine. Cola asked to take pictures of him for a health assignment. Steak didn’t really understand but he said as long as his face was cropped out, he didn’t care.

He took one or two before and after pictures, and Steak felt a little weird posing for them, but deep down, the attention made him feel good. Hamburger gave him a knowing look when he wasn’t giving Cola moon eyes. 

After their spar, Steak was taking the tape from his fists and placing bandages on his face where they had split open, he’d need an ice pack before a particular spot that Hamburger hit bruised. Hamburger had asked to borrow Steak’s phone since he left his in his room, and Steak, not caring one way or another when it came to Hamburger, handed it over. 

After he received it, he noticed a new app on his phone. 

“What’s G-R-I-N-D-R?” he asked, getting ready to delete it. 

“It’s an app that records our gym usage! It helps with Cola’s school project. It’ll give you a notification of people who are working out the same amount as you! But you can just ignore it."

Steak felt like that didn’t sound correct, especially because Cola was fighting back the urge to smile and laugh, but when he tried to open the app, it took too long to load and a notification popped up about turning location services on, so he exited out the whole thing. Steak didn’t have time to do things on his phone. 

“Okay, whatever.”

Not thinking about the app on his phone, he got ready to head back to the base. Looking at Hamburger and Cola, he felt a pang of jealousy that they could be enamored like that. Not that Steak was into mushy stuff, but it would still be nice to know there was someone that cared about him that much. 

He only had Milk, and that didn’t even really count. 

He decided to walk back to the base, instead of calling someone to come pick him up, letting the night air clear his mind. He took the time to try and get his thoughts in order.

As angry as the Vampire made him, he couldn’t deny there was probably some attraction there. It was also possible that it was just Steak’s libido going haywire and him latching onto the closest viable option. But there was a pang of hurt remembering how Red Wine turned him down, and Steak snorted. 

Feelings were gross. 

He decided to think about something a lot less confusing and worked through his schedule tomorrow. He had a financial meeting in the morning to make sure their numbers were right, and then there was a shipment coming in from Nevras in the afternoon. In between he had planned to work on case things with Red Wine, but now he wasn’t sure if that would happen anymore. 

He walked through the door of the base, finally feeling relaxed and checking up on everything before he went to bed, but when he went into his office, a very unpleasant face was waiting there for him. 

“Hello, Steak.”

The deep voice of the pale-haired man nearly startled the Demon, and he felt his problems multiply by tenfold. 

“I’m here to discuss your pending marriage to my daughter, Milk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the inspiration for the dog's name from the character Tartuffe, from the play. I had to read it for an English class, and I've always enjoyed the name since. 
> 
> Also, as I get further in this fic, I'm finding a lot of inconsistencies as the story kind of morphs and melds together in my head. If you see any inconsistencies, please let me know, because I can always edit, tie up loose ends, or explain things in later chapters as long as I don't post them.


	14. Part I: Thanksgiving Extra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this part wasn't originally in the story I wrote at ALL, but my friend Ivy from the SteakWine server asked about Yellow Wine and I had one little thing about him that I wanted to figure out some way to add! While everything inside of me wants to keep writing and posting everyday, there's the possibility I won't be able to make it for Thanksgiving since I'm going home. 
> 
> So instead I typed up a very short Thanksgiving extra!

Red Wine knew he shouldn’t be here. The alcohol was bad for his system and when Gingerbread found out about how he had ditched some much needed work to visit Parisel again, she would have his head. 

It wasn’t as if Red Wine was there to drink. He had business here he wanted to check on. Unluckily for the Vampire, it was Ladies’ Night, which was apparently a big ordeal at Parisel. 

The amount of extra security they added was significant, and they were all dressed to the nines in suits. The rest of the staff however, seemed to have swapped their uniforms for strings. In the middle of the room a catwalk was erected, and as it was midway through the night, there were male exotic dancers showing their moves. Red Wine was not aware of the practices at Parisel, but he was highly in favor. 

However, he was really here for a certain bartender. 

Red Wine walked up to the bar, and waited until he was serviced. 

When Yellow Wine walked over to him, Red Wine had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from reacting. The bartender was wearing the tiniest neon yellow crop top Red Wine had ever seen, showing his nipples and rippling abs. He wore tight, shimmery short shorts and fishnets underneath, and with the body glitter he had rubbed over his body and the astounding makeup he wore around his eyes, Yellow Wine looked like an icon. 

“This is a much different look from last time,” Red Wine said, looking him up and down. Yellow Wine flipped his high ponytail over his shoulder. 

“I remember you. You’re the Screaming Eagle guy,” Yellow Wine commented, leaning on the bar. “What can I get you?” 

“If you still have the Screaming Eagle, I’ll have a glass,” the Vampire said, grinning. 

Yellow Wine went to fill the order immediately, taking the step stool to take the Screaming Eagle wine from the top shelf. He poured Red Wine a glass and slid it over to him on a coaster. “So did everything with Sanma Shioyaki go well?” he asked.

Red Wine took the glass. 

“We’ve contacted him, though we’re still waiting for a response,” he answered. “How have you been?” 

“Well that’s good,” Yellow Wine said over the music, putting the wine back. “I’ve been great actually! My sister got a private sponsor for some of her school stuff, so that’s been a great help. I can really focus on beauty school.”

Red Wine took a sip from his glass to contain his smile. 

He knew his money had gone to a good cause. 

Being a Vampire meant accumulating wealth and hoarding interest and investments and making a huge profit. Every few decades he might pick up a job or two, but it’s not like he spent money on food regularly. Because of that, he had sums of money saved up, and last time they came to Parisel, while Steak was scoping out for Tempura, he took a moment to chat with their bartender, and when he heard he was working to put himself and his little sister through school, Red Wine felt a philanthropic heartstring get pulled. 

He could be an asshole, and he could be a snob, but no one could ever say Red Wine was a bad person. 

He made sure to leave his donation anonymous and covered the full cost of Jiuniang’s tuition to her private school. It was evident that Yellow Wine was a lot less stressed out and more focused on his own schooling. 

“Your hair and makeup look great tonight,” Red Wine complimented as he saw Yellow Wine look to get ready to serve another customer. 

“Thanks, this is my ‘Tip the Bartender’ outfit!” Yellow Wine said, as he walked away to make sure he was servicing other customers. Feeling amped up from the atmosphere, Red Wine texted Tempura. 

_To: Tempura_

_Do you have any current engagements?_

He hadn’t expected a reply soon from the Strength Mage, and he people watched, making sure to sip his wine slowly. A few minutes later, he received a response. 

_From: Tempura_

_Nope!!!_

_Why?_

Red Wine put down his drink to respond. 

_To: Tempura_

_Would you be interested in a feeding tonight?_

_From: Tempura_

_Hell yeah! I’ll let you know when I’m ready to head over._

In reality, Red Wine was hoping to get something else besides blood from Tempura, and he drank down his glass, deciding to head home now that he’d checked on Yellow Wine. 

He’d be back eventually to make sure he was still doing alright and see if that “private sponsorship” would need to be increased. He called a cab while waiting for his check, paying it and leaving the loud bar.

He had other potential plans tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, just a super short check-in and a tiny bit of Yellow Wine to quench your imagination! 
> 
> I'm really enjoying reading our comments and seeing kudos on the work, they really make my day!!


	15. Part II: Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! And to those who don't, I hope you're having a great day!

Much to their clan’s surprise, the head of the Vampire finally returned after her long journey. It had been such a long time since they’d last seen Toso. 

By her side was a small, white-haired Vampire. She seemed shy, and hid behind Toso when they walked through the door. They had only received word she was back in Gloriville when she landed, and already had a ride back to the house. There was a quick frenzy to make sure everything in the house was in order since Toso hadn’t been at the house in a few years, mainly staying updated through Facetime, phone calls, texts, and e-mails. She had left for Palata, where she couldn’t be contacted, nearly 6 months ago, and rushed home months later when she finally discovered about Salty Tofu. 

She was stern, and she was intense, but she also loved her family dearly, and when she walked through the door, her narrowed eyes seemed as if she was criticizing them all. 

“Where is Salty Tofu?” she asked. 

They all looked down before Red Wine realized he should step up. 

“He’s in the basement.”

“The basement?!” Toso yelled. The small Vampire behind her reeled at her outburst. Having dealt with the head of their clan often, Red Wine didn’t recoil. 

“Yes. We had to for his safety and the safety of Hilena. Let me take you to him.”

Toso huffed. 

“Gingerbread, take our bags to our room, and make sure Rice’s new bedroom is fixed up,” Toso said, marching after Red Wine. The darker haired Vampire took her through the kitchen and downstairs to see Salty Tofu. 

When she peeked through the window she scowled. 

“Good God.”

Salty Tofu looked up, shackled to the wall and stuck downstairs had taken its toll on him, despite the stimulation they tried to provide him. He had a bed that he could reach within shackle range, and a toilet had been installed as well, but it was still clearly sub-optimal. 

“Toso! How’ve you been!” he asked, beaming. 

“Better than you, it seems. What the hell happened with you?” she asked through the window. 

“Got sick, killed some people. The usual.”

Toso gave a singular dry laugh before turning to Red Wine. 

“What’s being done?”

Red Wine took the time to explain the situation and what they had uncovered so far. He knew Salty Tofu had been kept up-to-date, but since Red Wine had been spending lots of his days with Steak, he felt the need to personally explain. Even if recently he’d been keeping Steak at an arm’s distance and spending more time on his own research and the monster task force for the past few weeks. Toso huffed and walked back up the stairs. 

“Unlock him. He needs to meet Rice.”

\-----x~*~x-----

_We’re sorry to inform you that we will not be taking requests outside of the country without an in-person consultation. I’ve attached days and times that work for Sanma Shioyaki in the next month, please review them and book an appointment if you would like to hire him for services._

Red Wine had groaned when he saw the e-mail. 

It wasn’t that travelling out of the country would be a problem, it was that he would have to travel with Steak. He scrolled through his phone, but was interrupted by Cold Rice Shrimp. 

“Big brother Red Wine!” 

The elder Vampire pocketed his phone and turned a soft look her way. He knew Cold Rice Shrimp was nearly a century old, but when she told them in confidence that she wanted to live out the childhood she never had, no one had any qualms. She didn’t share her full story with the clan, but Red Wine knew she had a horrible childhood as an abandoned orphan. She was turned by Toso herself when she found the child dying from sickness and starvation. Growing with them for nearly 50 years had been hard, considering her child-like appearance, and so she decided to play the part. Sometimes, Red Wine wondered if she adjusted to the child-like persona too comfortably, and wouldn’t be able to act on her maturity in crucial times, but as long as he was around, he would protect her. 

“Mommy wants you!” 

Even though Toso was the one that turned her and traveled with her to create and deepen a bond, she was always leaving, gathering other fledgling Vampires who needed help and support and bringing them back. Because of that, Gingerbread typically took over most house affairs while Toso was gone, and earned the “mommy” status from Cold Rice Shrimp. 

“Where is she?” Red Wine asked. 

“She’s in your room!” she answered, before running off to do some other errand. 

Red Wine sighed before stalking up to his room, not knowing what Gingerbread could want. 

When he got to his room he saw both her and Sweet Tofu sitting on his bed holding their mini-spa bags. 

“Is it that time already?” Red Wine asked, toeing off his shoes and shedding unnecessary layers until he was in his white shirt and pants. 

“Haven’t your nails been chipping?” Sweet Tofu asked. 

Red Wine checked his fingers and noticed that yes, the polish there had indeed been chipping. The three of them were typically very close, and when one of them seemed particularly stressed out, the other two would ready a mini-spa alongside their weekly nail polishing. 

They must have noticed that Red Wine had a lot of things on his mind. 

Recently, this ritual had been done for Sweet Tofu for weeks where he was doing worse than others, but it was the first time in a while they had brought out the mini-spa for him. It was nice, because for Sweet Tofu, sometimes bleaching the white part of his hair was involved, and Red Wine always felt like his nose hairs would burns from the fumes. There wasn’t any obligation to talk or share feelings, they could just relish in spending some down time together and de-stressing. 

“Time to strip!” Gingerbread cheered. Red Wine rolled his eyes. At this point, living with them for a few hundred years meant that nudity wasn’t really a taboo, but Red Wine enjoyed some level of modesty. 

“I’ll just run the bath and let you know when I’m ready,” he said. Gingerbread pulled out bath salts from her spa package and handed them to him, and Red Wine walked to his connected bathroom and shut the door. He started the bath, putting in the necessary salts in. Once everything was going, he stripped out of his layers, letting the fabrics fall to the floor. He placed his clothes delicately on the counter before checking the bath temperature to make sure it wasn’t too hot. It was so easy for a bath to be scalding to such cold-natured creatures. 

As he sank into the bath and let it fill up, Red Wine sighed. He could admit, he kind of needed this. 

Once the bath was full, he turned off the water. Stirring the salts made it murky, and Gingerbread and Sweet Tofu poked their heads in the room. From his bedroom, the scent of lavender and sounds of Tchaikovsky wafted in. 

“We heard the bath stop, time to exfoliate,” Sweet Tofu said, bringing in various scrubs and some loofas. Red Wine grabbed one and a rubbed a body scrub into the material, starting on his chest. He sat so that his left arm and leg would be out of the bath. It was awkward, but it allowed Sweet Tofu and Gingerbread to rub him down as well, making the darker haired Vampire feel pampered. Physical touch may not be Red Wine’s favorite thing, but he enjoyed it every now and then from a select group of people. 

The feeling was relaxing, and once he was done with the first scrub, they used a sugar scrub. 

“Was there anything you wanted to talk about?” Gingerbread asked, halfway through her sugar scrub. 

Red Wine sighed. 

“Not really. Just worried about this case. I got an e-mail from Sanma Shioyaki’s representative that if we want to hire him, we have to do an in-person consultation.”

“In Light Kingdom?” Sweet Tofu asked incredulously. 

“Sakurajima,” Red Wine corrected. 

“‘We’?” Gingerbread asked. Red Wine was hoping she wouldn’t pick up on that.

“Steak and I,” he answered, leaving it at that. 

Things had been tense between them ever since Steak asked about hooking up. At this point, Red Wine didn’t know what he was feeling, but overall, he was feeling as if it wasn’t worth it. He could be expected to live another few hundred years, since he was nearly immortal, but Steak, despite his long life span, would eventually grow old and die. There could never be a happily ever after for Red Wine unless he wanted to curse his lover with Vampirism, and after another hundred years or so, they might not love each other anymore. Which is why he stuck to flings and hook-ups, but something about Steak made him seem different, and the thought of hooking up would ruin whatever balance they had managed to find. 

Sweet Tofu and Gingerbread noticed Red Wine’s contemplative silence, and stopped asking questions. After the bath Gingerbread and Sweet Tofu left to set up the rest of the things on Red Wines bed while he drained the bath and redressed himself in his clothes. 

When he returned to his room, he crawled on his bed with the other two Vampires. Over his bed sheets, their “paint towels” had been set up, so as to not get anything on his bed.   
Sweet Tofu passed over a coffee face mask and pulled out the necessary items for a manicure. Gingerbread was going to be in charge of his feet. Red Wine put on the face mask and set a timer for it. Sweet Tofu and Gingerbread went to work on his nails, cleaning off the old polish before shaping and filing them. 

“You need to get laid,” Gingerbread said out of the blue, interrupting the relaxing ambiance from the pampering, lavender, and sounds of the celesta. 

As abrupt as it was, Red Wine couldn’t help but laugh. 

“You’re right. I do need to get laid.”

They didn’t speak much for the rest of the time it took them to file down Red Wine’s nails. 

“Okay what color do you want? You can’t say ‘black’,” Sweet Tofu said with a grin. Red Wine preferred his nails being black, and they all knew it. 

“Nude,” he responded. Gingerbread groaned. 

“Boring,” she said, flipping her large braid over her shoulder to rest against her back. 

“Going back to the earlier topic,” Sweet Tofu said, laying a base coat on Red Wine’s fingernails. “Why don’t you just get on Grindr or Tinder? Don’t you usually have success with those?”

In a positive state of mind, Red Wine hummed. 

“If I can find someone nice on there I might check it out, it’s not like I have other options.”

Assuming he was talking about Steak, Gingerbread and Sweet Tofu stopped talking, only being interrupted while painting the nude polish on. 

“But a good lay is definitely what I need,” Red Wine said. 

“Why don’t you just ask that new sponsor of yours. He’s your type isn’t he?” Gingerbread said flatly, painting a thin layer of nude on his toes. 

“I already asked, and he seemed really weird about it,” he answered. 

They waited for the nail polish to dry. 

“Do you still have anyone’s numbers that you previously hooked up with?” Sweet Tofu said, digging through the nail polish box to find a color he wanted for when he painted his nails. 

“I do, but you know how some people get. They get clingy if you stay with them for too long.”

“We could go out tonight,” Gingerbread suggested. “And look for a new man.”

Sweet Tofu and Red Wine shared a look. 

“We can’t. We’ve finally taken in a live monster and we’ve got to analyze it,” Sweet Tofu said. 

Gingerbread checked the nail polish on Red Wine’s toes, and deeming them dry enough, she went ahead with the glossy top coat. 

“Well, boo. We have to go out one night,” Gingerbread said. 

“Maybe once Salty gets better,” Sweet Tofu commented. With being busy, he didn’t have time to feel sorry for his own situation, and he seemed a lot more hopeful for putting all the pieces together. 

Once Red Wine’s nails were relatively dry, they put moisturizer on his cuticles, and the refreshed Vampire grabbed his phone to scroll for a potential body. He hadn’t done so in weeks now. The darker haired Vampire flipped through Grindr profiles listed near him, pausing momentarily on any noteworthy contenders. Most of which were Strength Mages.

“Oh, look at this guy,” He showed his phone screen to Gingerbread and Sweet Tofu, who both looked at the average-looking guy. 

“Eh, he’s alright,” Sweet Tofu said, returning to his polishing job he was just starting. Red Wine frowned at their seeming disapproval and kept scrolling. 

“What do you mean he was weird about it, by the way? Your sponsor?” Gingerbread asked.

Red Wine sighed. “He just seemed like he didn’t want to do anything. And he kept using that whole ‘it’s not you, I’m just not in a right space’, which I’ve heard before thousands of times.”

Both Gingerbread and Sweet Tofu made sounds of agreement. Being virtually immortal meant that they had heard human’s excuses for things for generations. They sat in silence, Gingerbread and Sweet Tofu painting their own nails until Red Wine whistled low. 

“Look at him,” he said, showing the profile picture to Gingerbread and Sweet Tofu. 

“Ooh, that looks promising.”

“Look at those washboard abs!” Gingerbread exclaimed. “He’s chubby fit.”

“But see if he has a picture with his face. Just having body pictures is sketchy,” Sweet Tofu hummed, going back to his nail polish. 

Red Wine scrolled through the pictures and when he landed on the person’s face, he gasped loud enough to startle Gingerbread and Sweet Tofu. 

“You made me fuck up my nail polish-“

“Look!” Red Wine cut Sweet Tofu off and shoved his phone in their faces. When they saw Steak’s familiar visage, Gingerbread and Sweet Tofu began laughing. 

“You should definitely send him a message!” Gingerbread said in between cackling.

“Absolutely not!”

“It’s about time you stop acting like you hate each other and just fuck,” Sweet Tofu said wryly, smiling at Red Wine’s expense. No one had addressed the elephant in the room until that point. At his comment, Steak’s out-of-the-blue questions about hooking up came to mind and Red Wine paused. 

“Or have you already fucked?” Sweet Tofu asked, seeing the look on the elder Vampire’s face. 

“No!”

“Red,” Gingerbread said warningly. 

“He asked me to hook up with him,” Red Wine admitted, still highly embarrassed about the whole situation despite it being weeks ago.

“You said ‘no’ didn’t you?” Gingerbread asked while Sweet Tofu gasped. 

“Of course I did!” Red Wine said defensively. 

“Why would you say no? Look at him!” Sweet Tofu said, dipping his messed up finger in nail polish remover and scrubbing it off to start over. 

“Have you ever had a conversation with that idiot! He’s absolutely infuriating.”

“Red, we all know you over-exaggerate and blow things out of proportion when you’re lying,” Gingerbread said, painting her nails expertly. 

Red Wine just gaped like a fish out of water. 

“You two are supposed to be my friends!”

“We are your friends,” Sweet Tofu said. “Which is why we’re telling you that you need to fuck Steak.”


	16. Part II: Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone's been doing well! I had a great holiday with my family and the slight break allowed me to brainstorm some ideas on how to make this fanfiction flow a little easier!!

At the Demon’s base, Steak was doing everything to keep his flames under control. 

Milk’s father, who had suddenly come into town, was extremely insistent on their marriage. They had been technically engaged, their parents arranging the marriage without consulting them. Since Steak’s parents had died, he thought the engagement was nullified, and had no plans to pursue a marriage with Milk. Not that he didn’t care for her deeply, but he didn’t love her in that way. 

But her father was not hearing it, and for the past couple of weeks, he’d been in Steak’s hair, pushing the marriage. Neither Steak nor Milk wanted it, but Milk was too afraid to stand up to her father, who worked for a large pharmaceutical company and occasionally went dark side with some of his business. 

“I’m not going to marry Milk!” Steak roared one day, nearly setting his office on flame. It had been the hundredth time her father tried to push his will on Steak, and on top of his current aggravation, he couldn’t deal with it. 

He looked flabbergasted that Steak would yell at him, especially after weeks of being curt but cordial. Milk’s father’s face turned red with anger. 

“I see you still play the arrogant and stubborn child. I will be back tomorrow, hopefully you’ll have changed your tune.” He said it nearly every day, and everyday they had the same conversation.

Milk’s father, who chose not to take an alias and remained as Ryder Van Hopp, didn’t usually meddle in Milk’s affairs. He had no idea of the relationship status of his eldest daughter, and cared little of what she chose to do with her free time, as his mind was completely on his pharmaceuticals company. Therefore, it was strange that he was suddenly pushing this engagement. Multiple times he spouted nonsense about being “business partners” again like when Steak’s father was in charge, and how it could be mutually beneficial. From Steak’s point of view the only person who would be benefiting would be Mr. Van Hopp. 

He needed a lawyer and a long smoke.

After he took his break, he decided to get back to his work that was so rudely interrupted by Milk’s father. Steak had just finished giving his weekly report to Chief Valencia and submitting “anonymous” evidence to help the police station stay in the loop when Red Wine walked into his office. Yogurt had come in after him, looking a little frazzled. 

“Um, sir. Red Wine is here,” she said, announcing his presence from behind him. 

“I can see that Yogurt, thank you.”

It was obvious that Red Wine had just walked in without checking in with security or talking to the proper people, which was fine considering he had become a familiar face around the base, but it still made Steak sigh. 

“What do you want?” Steak asked curtly. 

“How rude, and after working on this case for so long together,” he said, sitting down at the chair across from Steak’s desk. He slid his phone over the surface to Steak, and an e-mail was pulled up. 

“We’re sorry to inform you that we will not be taking requests outside of the country without an in-person consultation. I’ve attached days and times that work for Sanma Shioyaki in the next month, please review them and book an appointment if you would like to hire him for services,” Steak read aloud. “So we’re going to Sakurajima?”

Red Wine was a little shocked that his decision was so sudden, but it was good considering that it was the next logical step and he wouldn’t have to feel weird trying to explain why they had to go. 

“Yes, and we need to leave as soon as possible. The next available time is this weekend,” Red Wine said, taking back his phone and pulling up the attachment. 

“Yogurt!” 

The girl across the hallway came in at Steak’s beckoning. 

“Yes?” she asked from the doorway. 

“Book me two first class tickets to Sakurajima so that we will get in at the latest by Thursday evening. I need the closest airport to Fuego Town.”

“Yes, sir,” Yogurt said, before going back to her office. 

Steak would take advantage of this situation to get away from Mr. Van Hopp, and seeing as it was already Tuesday, their trip was cutting it close. However, there wasn’t much they could do considering the insistent phone calls they’d received from Wonton complaining about them having to keep Tartuffe frozen so he didn’t decay. There was only so much they could do to prevent the passage of time on a dead organism. 

“As long as we avoid staying in the Shinohara region for long periods of time, we should be okay. I’ve read that some Gloriville residents have gone missing there and they are experiencing some pollution,” Red Wine commented, standing up to leave. 

“Where are you going?” Steak asked. 

Red Wine thought the question was odd. 

“Back home so I can begin packing, of course,” he said. 

“Stay.”

The singular word made Red Wine’s heart flip, even though he knew Steak didn’t mean it in an intimate way. 

Red Wine sighed, but sat back down anyway.

“We need to figure out some type of itinerary while we’re there. And it’s been a while, we should make sure we’re on the same page with everything.”

Red Wine clenched his teeth, knowing he had been partly ignoring Steak after his proposition. 

“I’ve been in contact with Chief Valencia. The police has had the runaround trying to keep the case under wraps for as long as they have. The families of all the murder victims want answers but he’s afraid to tell them it was a Vampire in fear of the city turning on you guys,” Steak explained. It made sense. They knew that there were reasons outside of Salty Tofu’s control that he had killed other people, but unless they could figure out for sure what was happening, the public would pin all the blame on the Vampires and it could be a bad situation. “I’ve arranged for some of our storage rooms to be cleaned out and repurposed into rooms in the event things go south side and you need a place to hide.”

“That’s…strangely nice of you,” Red Wine said, astonished because of Steak’s generosity. He was beginning to see him in a new light, but realizing this, Red Wine panicked a bit. “I’m also surprised your mind had the capabilities of thinking so far ahead.”

It would be easier to squash any feelings he was developing. 

“You can’t give a compliment can you?” Steak asked rhetorically, smiling anyways, and the sight of it was like a dazzling sun. “That’s fine, I’ve been sending in anonymous information so that the police has more to work with for the journalists.”

Red Wine nodded, cursing his mouth for even saying anything at all. 

“They’ve also been busy with rising crime rates and alcoholism rates, so Chief Valencia said they wouldn’t be able to help any longer. He sent me over the genealogy and records of every victim as compensation, but I haven’t been able to go through them yet.”

“That sounds like something we could look at on the plane,” Red Wine commented. 

Steak nodded, and his phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw the confirmation for a flight that left tomorrow in the afternoon. 

“Our flight is confirmed, book the consultation with Sanma Shioyaki,” Steak said, placing his phone down. 

Red Wine picked up his phone and filled out the attached form, booking their appointment for the first available time this Saturday. While he was at it, he sent a response to Sanma Shioyaki’s representative and let him know they were looking forward to seeing them on that day. While he did that, Steak also asked Yogurt to book them a hotel room and get with their contacts on the ground in Sakurajima for transportation. They would book the return flight when they were sure their business was through. 

“Alright, I’ve sent the e-mail. We should be good to go. We can discuss how we want to pitch our case to Sanma Shioyaki when we actually get to Sakurajima. I need to pack if we are leaving tomorrow,” Red Wine said, standing up again. Steak felt the compulsion to ask him to stay again, but there was no reason to, so he let him go. 

“Make sure you’re here by 9 am so we can leave for the airport,” Steak reminded, and watched as Red Wine waved a hand in agreement and left. 

These next few day were going to be tumultuous.


	17. Part II: Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had a full day of travelling but now I'm back at school! I will try to make sure I update regularly but this is my final week before exams and I have so many performances. Knowing me, I'll persevere and update regardless, but just in the event I drop off the face of the planet, now you know why!

Red Wine had showed up on time, but Steak had woken up late and wasn’t completely ready. The Vampire was shown up to Steak’s connected apartment and was asked to sit in his living room. Milk insisted everything was fine and that she sent Steak a text message to let him know that Red Wine would be in his house, which left the Vampire sitting awkwardly in Steak’s living room, looking at how impersonal everything seemed. It wasn’t messy like he had expected, and seemed relatively neat. There was exercise equipment located in this room, and from where Red Wine could see without snooping, Steak seemed to have another bedroom and an in-home office which he had converted to a personal gym. 

There was a bar counter that separated the living room from the kitchen, so when Steak walked in the kitchen with only a towel around his waist, in a hurry to start his coffee maker, Red Wine felt as if he were going to have a heart attack. Pictures on Grindr could never compare to seeing Steak’s muscled torso in the flesh. He hadn’t told Steak he found him on Grindr, especially considering if he was using that app, it was safe to assume that he was looking for _something_ , and Red Wine didn’t want to be called out for also using it. 

He didn’t realize he was staring until he made eye contact with Steak.

“What the hell are you doing in my house?!” he shouted, grabbing at his towel in panic to make sure it wasn’t slipping. 

“Milk let me in, she said she sent you a message,” Red Wine said as calmly as he could. As chaotic as he felt inside, he tried his hardest to keep a cool exterior. 

Steak reached for his phone on the kitchen counter and saw that Milk indeed had messaged him, he just didn’t see it because he was in the shower. The Demon huffed. 

“Whatever, just don’t touch anything, I’ll be out in a second,” Steak said, walking to another room that Red Wine couldn’t see. 

When he was gone, the Vampire let out a shaky breath he’d been holding. 

He didn’t know whether he should consider seeing Steak with only a towel was a blessing or a curse, because he definitely enjoyed the view. After his lackluster feeding with Tempura last night, it was the jolt he needed. But the fresh, warm blood coursing through his veins reacted to Red Wine’s thoughts and feelings and he felt himself twitch in his pants. 

“Oh no,” he mumbled. 

As a Vampire, constantly running out of and taking in new blood meant that sometimes after a feeding or too long between feedings weird things would begin to happen with his body. For Red Wine, he usually saw an increase in his sex drive after feeding, since there was more blood pumping and coursing through his veins. It didn’t necessarily work the same way for all Vampires. For Sweet Tofu, he was more prone to panic attacks after feeding, since the increased heart rate would sometimes accelerate too fast, and Gingerbread would have problems with high blood pressure, since her heart worked doubly hard between feedings and wouldn’t slow down after the addition of new blood. Red Wine’s condition was less dangerous, and more just embarrassing. 

He had fed to ensure he’d be fine for the trip over the weekend, especially if he was going to be in close proximity with Steak all day for the next few days. Red Wine needed to make sure he was sated, but he had nearly forgotten about the unwarranted side effects, especially because he hadn’t necessarily had any problems with them lately. 

Steak returned to pull some clothes out of the dryer, dressed casually in a fitted tee and jeans, and even in clothing, he looked like a marvel. 

This was going to be a long trip.

\-----x~*~x-----

Despite arriving to the airport later than anticipated, they had no issues getting on the plane. It arrived only a few minutes after they got there and boarding began.

Red Wine rarely got the opportunity to enjoy first class, especially since he rarely flew, and enjoyed the seats. It was to be expected that he was seated next to Steak, but he was still surprised. 

“This is going to be the most miserable plane ride of my life,” Red Wine sighed, putting his overhead bag up and sitting down. 

“I’ve had worse,” Steak said, and the strange positivity made Red Wine feel a little bad for blowing things out of proportion a little. 

“Well, are we going to read these documents?” Red Wine asked, wanting to change subjects. At the mention of the documents, Steak closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and groaned. 

“I forgot them.”

“You forgot them? When else are we supposed to read them?” Red Wine hissed. He hadn’t brought much along to do on the plane because he had anticipated reading through the files and genealogies of all the victims. 

Steak couldn’t respond before the plane started to take off. Lift off was shaky, and when they pulled off the ground, the Demon gasped, accidentally gripping Red Wine’s hand. 

The Vampire opened his mouth to tell him to let go, but then saw Steak’s face and how it was as white as a sheet. His hand was warm, nearly burning, and Red Wine felt himself craving that warmth.

In all this time, Red Wine hadn’t expected to see Steak afraid because of a takeoff. 

After they were in the air, it seemed like Steak realized he was holding Red Wine’s hand, and pulled it away quickly, as if he’d been burned. 

“Are you afraid of flying?” Red Wine asked, before Steak could try and say anything. The Demon calmed down and huffed, looking out the window. 

“Yeah.” 

Red Wine figured. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“It’s not like it would’ve changed that we had to fly,” Steak shrugged, settling further back into his seat and closing the window. He didn’t want to see how high in the air they were.

Red Wine knew that Steak’s sentiment was true, but it still would’ve been nice to have a heads up. 

“I guess,” he responded. “Are you gonna hold my hand like that every time?”

“Shut up.”

The lack of a direct answer told Red Wine that he needed to be prepared for anything, so he kept his arm on the arm rest between them. It would be a long flight. 

Before too long, the in-flight video on flight safety started, and the flight attendants began serving. Red Wine was tempted to order alcohol, but knew that even after one drink he would feel like garbage, so he settled on tomato juice. 

“What are you, a weirdo? Why won’t you pick a soda like everyone else?” Steak said as the flight attendant poured a Coke in a cup for him. 

“Tons of people drink tomato juice on planes,” Red Wine offered, drinking his drink pleasantly. The only downside was that it was cold. “It’s like drinking blood.” 

As much as the flight attendant tried to seem unaffected, Red Wine’s comment shocked her, and she moved to help the other people in first class. 

“Gross,” Steak commented.

“You know what they say, don’t knock it until you try it,” Red Wine said, and before he realized, his drink was in Steak’s hands, and the Demon had taken a swig. He placed the cup down and gagged. 

“Gross.”

“You idiot, that was my tomato juice!” Red Wine hissed, not wanting to cause a scene on the plane. 

“And it’s disgusting,” Steak said. Red Wine didn’t feel like continuing with his bickering, so he just turned the cup to make sure he didn’t drink from the same place Steak drank from. 

“Well, it’s a good think _you_ don’t have to like it,” he said, taking another sip. It was literally so cold, and for him, it was most appetizing lukewarm. He flagged down their flight attendant. “Is there any way I could get this warmed up?”

Steak sighed and took the cup again, holding it between his two hands. Both the flight attendant and Red Wine looked at him as if he was crazy. 

“Excuse me,” Red Wine said, getting a little angry at Steak continuing to just take his things. Steak passed it back and the cup was warm. Red Wine furrowed his brows and took a sip. 

It was warm. 

“Sir, did you need me to warm it up?” the flight attendant asked. 

“Oh, no thank you. I’m fine,” Red Wine said. The flight attendant walked away to serve someone else. 

“How did you do that?” Red Wine asked, forgetting about Steak’s abilities. 

Steak gave a confused look. He was sure Red Wine had seen him use fire before.

“I just manipulated the fire to warm the skin of my palms and transfer the heat to the cup.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Red Wine said, remembering. When they first met he had saw fire around Steak when he lunged at him. It had burnt the end of Chief Valencia’s jacket. 

The rest of the plane ride was relatively boring, but whenever they hit turbulence, Steak would cling to Red Wine’s hand. Just the small gesture was apparently enough comfort, and even for Red Wine, he felt comforted. Steak’s hands were warm, and holding on to them felt comfortable. Landing was similar, but the long plane ride passed without any issues. 

When Steak and Red Wine got their luggage, there was a man standing with a sign that simply read “Steak”. The two walked over to him, and greeted him. 

“Ms. Milt contacted me. I’ll be your chauffeur.”

They placed their things in the car and got into the back seat together, headed to the hotel. 

When they got there for check-in, the receptionist pinched his eyebrows together. It seemed to take longer that usual and Steak got irritated at the idea that something had gone wrong with their reservation. 

“Sorry, it just took me a little bit to find your reservation. We’ve got a festival going on so we have an influx of tourists and the systems are a little weird. You had a single room with a King size bed?”

Red Wine’s jaw dropped. 

“There’s _no way_ I’m sharing a bed with this idiot,” he scoffed. 

“I specifically requested a double at the least, or two separate rooms,” Steak said, crossing his arms. The show of intimidation seemed to work, and the receptionist got nervous.

“It’s showing me that you booked this room on Tuesday. We already had limited availability, so we couldn’t fill the request for two rooms, and the King bed room was the only option we had left,” the receptionist said. 

“Unbelievable. You did this on purpose,” Red Wine accused. 

“Ha? Why would I _want_ to share a bed with your cold, blood-sucking ass?”

“Because-“

_”Do you wanna hook-up?”_

The thought crossed his mind and Red Wine shut his mouth immediately, huffing and turning his head. He had already made a scene and didn’t want to make it more complex. 

“We’ll simply book a room at another hotel,” Red Wine concluded. 

“Actually,” the receptionist mumbled, wringing his hands nervously. “There’s not any more availabilities in nearby hotels. Most of our bookings were overflow from the other hotels.”

“Do you have a spare cot or futon?” Steak asked. 

The receptionist nodded. 

“We can have one brought to you if you would still care to stay with us.”

This was absolutely the worst situation ever. 

“Then we’ll do that,” Steak sighed, completing the check in. Once they were done, they carried their luggage to the elevator and went upstairs. 

“I’m pissed.”

Steak looked at Red Wine, who seemed to be emanating a shadow of gloom. It wasn’t like it was the end of the world to share a room, though Steak wasn’t going to be too thrilled about it either.

“You can take the bed. I know your prissy ass needs it,” Steak shrugged, and before Red Wine could argue, the elevator dinged for their floor and Steak stepped off. 

“You taurine ass!”

The room seemed to be on the more luxurious side, and the two brought their luggage in, leaving it by the door. Red Wine, who felt gross after riding on the plane, went ahead to scope out the bathroom. 

“I want to shower first,” Red Wine said, gathering lounge clothes to change into after he was done. “Let me know when they bring the other bed.” Because of the time change, it was already night when they got to Sakurajima, which meant they had two days before meeting Sanma Shioyaki. 

Red Wine didn’t always take long in the shower, but as much time as he could spend away from Steak he would take. The water smelled a little weird when he turned it on, but Red Wine chalked it up to being in a new place. 

The situation today was trying, and Red Wine was surprised that his patience survived, especially with Steak. Thinking about the Demon and having the warm water run over him made him grow excited, and he sighed, knowing it was best to just take care of himself and get it out of the way. 

In a routine manner, he began stroking himself, thinking back on the years of experiences he had to pull from for inspiration. He was slow to start, his dick only stirring a few times, not becoming fully erect. 

_”Do you wanna hook up?”_

The memory of Steak asking him that question made him gasp, and without warning, the feeling of his calloused and scarred hand in Red Wine’s came to his tactile memory.   
“Fuck,” he hissed, feeling himself getting hard. He wouldn’t deny that he found Steak attractive, and before he knew it, the image of Steak wet in only in his towel made the flesh in his hand grow hot and heavy. 

Flashes of possible scenarios to things he would do to Steak, or Steak would do to him flooded his mind, and suddenly, he came, clenching his jaw to keep himself quiet. 

Red Wine watched as his seed went down the drain, and he took a couple quick breaths, steadying his heartbeat. The shame went along with the evidence of what he had done, and Red Wine turned off the shower, stepping out and drying off. 

He looked at his own pale body in the mirror. Illuminated by the fluorescent lights, he looked almost translucent, and he frowned, knowing that he only had some depth and tone to his skin because he fed recently. After being in this body for so long, one would assume Red Wine got used to looking like a ghost. That wasn’t the case. 

Mildly disgusted, he put his clothes on quickly. 

When he walked out, Steak was dressed in some pajamas and seemed pissed. 

“So they don’t have any free cots.”

Red Wine dropped the towel he was using to dry his hair.

“What?!”

“Yep, so it looks like we’re sharing the bed. Pick your side, princess,” Steak said, standing and gesturing towards the bed. 

“Call me ‘princess’ again, and it’s the last word you’ll ever say,” Red Wine said; however, the actual threat wasn’t there. 

Steak, following Red Wine’s body movements, walked over to the opposite side of the bed.

“You get in first,” Red Wine seethed, and Steak rolled his eyes, getting in the bed. 

“I don’t even see why it matters,” he said, turning so his back was to Red Wine. After he did so, Red Wine crawled into the bed, making sure to leave a large space between them as he also turned to have his back facing Steak. He didn’t want to get in bed at the same time as the Demon, not liking the implications. 

They stayed completely silent, Red Wine messing around on his phone a little. In this country, he didn’t have any service, but the Wi-fi at the hotel was good enough. Steak also seemed to be messing with his phone, which was weird considering how infrequently he used it. After a while, he had tired himself out and put his phone up to try and sleep.

“I don’t hate you, you know. I think we actually work pretty well together.”

The phrase was said when Red Wine was nearly asleep. At first he didn’t think the words were real, but when Steak said his name to check if he was awake, Red Wine sighed.

“I don’t hate you either.”

The sentiment was true, and Red Wine even found Steak attractive. He wondered, if they hadn’t gotten off to a rough start, would they have gone further with their relationship Guys like Steak still pissed Red Wine off, so he doubted it, but maybe things would be as tense. 

Steak was on his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A close friend of mine drinks tomato juice on planes which is where i got the inspiration. Also tomato juice is kinda just like a virgin bloody mary. So I also had a little laugh at that


	18. Part II: Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We've seen Steak have a little bit of action, so Red Wine needs some too. Also they grow cloooosssseeerrrrr.

Thursday they had spent the day making sure they had their case put together for Sanma Shioyaki, barely trekking outside of their room except for to eat, and some of those meals they just called room service. They hadn’t realized how much stuff they had amassed since the first murder, but they made sure to have it to justify why they needed his services despite the fact he was just going to help talk to a dead dog. 

Still exhausted from the jet lag and working through the day to organize their case, they crashed.

Friday morning, Red Wine woke up feeling warm. He hadn’t felt that warm since he’d been alive, and vaguely in his sleep muddled mind wondered if the Vampirism had been a sick, centuries-old joke and he was a living breathing human again. 

When he fully awoke, he was cuddled beside Steak in the bed, having gravitated towards him in the night while he slept. 

He yelled, and pushed away from Steak so he was standing by the opposite end of the bed, startling both of them out of their sleep. 

“What the fuck are you yelling for so early in the morning?” Steak growled, his voice gravely from sleep. Red Wine didn’t know if he’d heard a more attractive voice. 

“You rolled over in the bed and were beside me, you pervert!” Red Wine said. 

Steak sat up and rubbed his face. Silhouetted against the morning light from the window, he seemed like a vision. 

“You know, I wanna know why you keep assuming I have poor intentions,” Steak said. 

“Because you asked that asinine question weeks ago,” Red Wine said, averting his eyes. 

It took Steak a moment to rack his sleep-muddled brain, but when he realized, he groaned. 

“You’re still worried about that? You said ‘no’, which means I’m not gonna do anything to you,” Steak grumbled, lying back down to sleep.

The sentiment comforted him, but he wondered if Steak was still interested. Was Steak only restraining himself because Red Wine said “no”, or did his interest wane and made it easier to not initiate anything? Not that it mattered. 

It’s not like he could deny that he was attracted to Steak, and he sighed, thinking back about the conversation he had with Gingerbread and Sweet Tofu. 

“Well, I found you on Grindr,” he started, wondering if Steak had gone back to sleep. "So of course I'm worried." The Demon rolled over, making a confused face.

“You mean that exercise app?”

Red Wine nearly laughed at how preposterous that sounded. 

“Grindr is _definitely_ not an exercise app. Unless you consider hook-ups and one night stands exercise. Which they could be.”

Steak sat up in a flurry. 

“What?!”

“How did you have Grindr but not know this?”

Steak reached for his phone and opened the app, deciding to turn location services on and wait for it to start up. Just like Red Wine had said, he was being shown profiles of guys who had listed what they were interested in and how far away from Steak they were. 

“What the fuck?” Steak said, scrolling through the profiles, swiping them to get rid of them. 

Red Wine, fascinated by the mayhem, got back on the bed to look at Steak’s phone over his shoulder. 

“Once again, how did you have Grindr and have a profile set up, but didn’t know what it did?” Red Wine said, finding the whole situation amusing. 

“I have a profile? How do I delete it?” Steak asked in horror. Red Wine reached over and tapped on his phone bringing him to his profile. 

“It was pretty impressive, I was quite shocked to see you pop up,” Red Wine said, feeling a little comforted by what Steak said earlier. “The app finds people in your area who are also interested in hooking up, and you can add them to your favorites, and if you’re interested you can send them a direct message.”

Steak nodded, watching as Red Wine fiddled with his phone and showing him how it worked. It seemed Steak had some interesting patrons, so Red Wine opened up his DMs.

“Why are people sending me pictures of their dicks?” Steak asked, grimacing. 

“Well, typically that’s what people want, right? Dick?” 

Steak didn’t think he’d ever be in a position to talk to Red Wine about dicks. 

“Did you want to delete the app?” Red Wine asked, bringing him to his settings where he could do that. 

Steak was still looking for someone to hook up with, and while he didn’t like the lack of authenticity on the app, he couldn’t deny that it might come in handy for what he needed. 

“No I’ll delete it later, but I'm going to have to murder someone,” he said. “By the way, if you found me on Grindr, does that mean that you have a profile too?”

Red Wine realized the hole he dug for himself and Steak smirked. 

“How do I find it?”

“Absolutely not, in fact I’m going to delete my profile right now,” Red Wine said, pulling out his own phone. Steak laughed at him. 

“Don’t worry about it, I won’t go snooping.”

Maybe it was because he was half asleep that Steak was feeling so nice, but his laugh and joking around made him seem more casual than usual. 

“You’re being weird,” Red Wine said from him place on the bed beside him. Steak rolled back over to try and sleep.

“Weird how?”

“You’re…” Red Wine started, trying to think of how to word what he wanted to say. “Being friendly. And not like an asshole.”

Steak snorted. 

“Do I act like an uptight prick like you all the time?”

Red Wine actually slapped him, albeit the gesture was playful. 

“Nevermind, asshole.”

Steak just laughed. 

“I’m relaxing. I’m on vacation,” he mumbled. “Now, shut up and let me sleep.”

Red Wine decided to let him, and began to get ready for his day. He brushed through his hair and brushed his teeth, before putting on the clothes he would wear for the day. He donned the multiple layers, making sure to keep as much skin from view and left the hotel room, making sure he had a room key in his pocket. 

He decided to explore a bit and walked to a nearby market, where people were setting up for another round of festivities for the night. Walking around, he could glean that the festival was sacrificial in nature, and probably a ways off considering the light foot traffic. 

“Get out of here, I’m not selling a freak like you nothing!”

Red Wine turned his head to see the commotion. A young man with cat ears was standing at a fish stall, clutching a bag of vegetables. Cats around his feet growled, their fur puffed up at the owner of the stall. 

“Please, I just need to buy some fish,” he said. 

“This fish is for tourists and people who matter, not a Beast like you!”

“Excuse me,” Red Wine said, interjecting as he walked towards the stall. “May I ask why you won’t sell this young man some fish?”

The stall owner looked a little embarrassed. It was evident from Red Wine’s accent that he wasn’t from Sakurajima. 

“Well, he’s just a Beast. We don’t like to sell to Beasts around here,” the shop owner said, weakly trying to justify himself. 

“It’s alright, sir, I’m used to this,” the Beast said, feeling embarrassed at having caused a scene. 

“It’s not alright. If he has money, sell him the fish, and maybe I’ll consider not reporting this heinous discrimination,” he said. 

The shopkeeper reluctantly handed over fish and the young man paid for it properly before walking away. Red Wine snorted before continuing on his way. 

He knew there was rampant discrimination against Beasts globally. They were looked down upon, and at best pitied by society, and because of this, they were typically few and far between. Red Wine was surprised to see one out and about trying to purchase things in person. He wasn’t the first Beast Red Wine ever saw, but he was one of few. Worldwide, the nations decided to end discrimination against them, but that didn’t mean people always followed the rules.

Red Wine didn’t want to go too far into the mainland, where the Moonrise Terrace was and the large festivities were happening, so he just walked around the base of the volcano, and decided to buy souvenirs for his family. 

For Sweet Tofu and Gingerbread, he purchased salts to use for their spa packages, as well as natural candles made from flora of Fuego Town. The smell was heavenly and Red Wine couldn’t resist buying one for himself as well. For Salty Tofu, he got medicinal cream for his wrists and ankles. He knew that Salty Tofu also preferred fried rice, so when he went to a local restaurant to scope and saw a variation of Light Kingdom dishes including both bacon and pineapple, he persuaded the chef to share his recipe. It wasn’t like they couldn’t eat real food, it’s just that too much would make them sick. 

Shopping for Cold Rice Shrimp was easy because she enjoyed toys, and he bought her a few dresses as well. One of the perks of never growing is not having to learn new sizes. For Toso, buying souvenirs was easy, because she loved alcohol. Of course, because of her travelling, Red Wine assumed she had already tasted what most regions have to offer, but it was good to have a bottle at home. He picked up Invisible Wine, which was supposedly a delicacy and a wine made by their local god. 

Red Wine hadn’t known that Sakurajima went back to deities, which would explain the festival, even though it seemed to happen suddenly. 

He didn’t know what to buy for Rice, since he just met her, but he wasn’t going to exclude her from souvenirs, so he got her some clothes in various sizes, knowing she was petite but not knowing her exact size. He also got snacks, both savory and sweet, and some toys in the event that she enjoyed them like Cold Rice Shrimp. 

Laden with many bags, he began walking back to the hotel. He’d spent most of the day out and was wondering what Steak was up to. As he walked, he noticed some people following him, poorly concealing themselves. Red Wine sighed and set his bags down.

“Alright, come on out, I know you’re there,” Red Wine said, cracking his knuckles for anticipation of a fight. 

Three figures staggered from behind him, one holding a knife. 

“Hand over your goods and we won’t have to hurt you,” he said in a low voice. Red Wine turned to them, red eyes glistening in the dusk. 

“I suggest you leave, before I drain you dry,” he threatened, making his fangs known. It made his attackers pause, and take a step back. 

“You’re a Vampire?” 

“Freak!”

They lunged at him, and Red Wine dodged fluidly, knocking the knife from the man’s grip and grabbing it. When it was more socially acceptable, he used to carry a rapier, but since times had changed he had made himself proficient with many other types of blades. He threw the knife in the air, letting it spin before catching it, and threw it to cut a slit across the man’s face who seemed to be the leader. 

“Leave,” Red Wine said coldly, and the men ran away. Red Wine huffed before picking up his bags and continuing to the hotel. 

It seemed the news was right. Tourist had been attacked and kidnapped in increasing numbers in Sakurajima, and the amount of people who were going missing was enough to create global worry. But if the competition was such small fry, Red Wine would be okay.

From the lobby, he could see the attached restaurant was serving dinner, and Red Wine saw a familiar mop of red hair and horns. He continued upstairs to drop his bags off, before going downstairs. 

Steak was sitting at a table by himself, enjoying Sakurajima cuisine. 

“Is this seat taken?” 

The Demon looked up to see Red Wine. Without speaking, he gestured over to the seat to let him know he could sit down. 

“Do they have good wine here, I wonder?” Red Wine asked, pulling the menu from the edge of the table. 

“You’re not drinking,” Steak asked after swallowing a mouthful of food. 

“Who are you, my mother?” Red Wine scoffed. 

“I’m acting Gingerbread while you’re out of Gloriville,” Steak commented. 

Red Wine actually laughed at that. 

“One glass isn’t going to kill me.”

Steak got another forkful of his food. “Spoken like a true alcoholic.”

Red Wine narrowed his gaze. So Gingerbread _did_ tell him about that. 

“Fine.”

When the waiter came by to give Red Wine a glass of water, he asked if they needed anything. 

“We’re fine,” Steak commented, making sure Red Wine wouldn’t try to order anything on the sly.

“You know,” Red Wine said irritated, “I’m an adult, and I’ve been one for a long time, I can make my own decisions.”

“Gingerbread told me to make sure you don’t drink. And I need you at 100% tomorrow, I don’t know if you can tell but I’m shit at speaking to other people,” Steak said. 

The sentiment behind his words actually calmed Red Wine down, and the Vampire simply huffed. He didn't want to start a scene in the hotel restaurant.

“I appreciate your concern.”

The two sat in silence for a while, Red Wine searching through his apps on his phone. 

“So where’d you go today,” Steak asked curiously. 

“I went to buy souvenirs for my family,” he answered. “It was a little difficult because we have a new sister and I don’t know what to buy for her.” 

“How new?” Steak asked, thinking he was talking about Cold Rice Shrimp. 

“She came to us with Toso nearly a week ago,” Red Wine sighed. 

Steak made a quizzical face. 

“Who’s Toso?”

Red Wine hadn’t realized that in all the time they were together, he hadn’t mentioned their actual head of household. 

“She’s the one who’s actually in charge of us. I thought I’d mentioned her before. She travels often to search for other Vampires. She’s rarely ever home and so Gingerbread just does most of the head of household duties. Of course we keep in touch with her every few days as long as she has service. She was in Palata the last few months and didn’t have any way to contact us, but she came back after hearing about Salty Tofu,” Red Wine explained. 

Steak nodded. He’d be interested to meet Toso, and maybe work out some mutual lifelong agreement between Vampires and Demons. He knew the Vampires were relatively self-sufficient and exclusive, but if anything were to ever happen, like what was currently going on with Salty Tofu, then is would be best to have another group to lend aid. Already because of them having a tentative working arrangement, the Demons and Half-Demons in Steak’s own base were growing more open-minded and comfortable around Vampires.  
Even within Steak, the change had been radical. He enjoyed visiting with the Vampires and their company was good. Even Red Wine was tolerable. 

It was as if the winds of change were blowing through their groups.


	19. Part II: Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must say, school is kicking my ass, and finding time to write and post has been a challenge. I'm just glad I'm so far ahead that I can post even if I don't get an opportunity to write in new chapters.

They arrived at the determined address 15 minutes before their appointment time, as discussed via e-mail. The house that Sanma Shioyaki did his work from was large and very traditional for Sakurajima. Red Wine and Steak were asked to remove their shoes and with just socks, padded down the old wooden hallways and led to a room separated by a sliding paper screen. 

They had brought the information from the murders in two manila envelopes, having more than enough information to fill them both. They were told by a worker of the house that the representative of Sanma Shioyaki would be in to see them soon, so they waited. 

When the door opened, Red Wine was surprised to see a familiar face. 

“You’re that young man from yesterday,” Red Wine said. The Beast in question looked shocked but then smiled lightly. 

“My name is Bonito Rice, I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself yesterday,” he said, shaking Red Wine’s hand. The Vampire bowed lightly, knowing it was the custom in Sakurajima.

“Red Wine.”

“You two know each other?” Steak asked.

“I was having some trouble yesterday in the market. Red Wine helped me out. You must be Steak,” Bonito Rice said, holding his hand out to shake. 

Steak shook it and bowed as well. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Please, follow me,” the Beast said, walking to the opposite wall and opening another sliding door. 

Inside there was an office with a desk and computer that had two chairs on one side and one chair on another. Bonito Rice went to sit on the far side of the desk and gestured for Red Wine and Steak to sit. 

“What were you hoping we could do for you?”

Red Wine, who was chosen between the two of them to speak, considering his eloquence with words, launched into an explanation of the situation. He started with Jax Perceval’s dog, and how they needed to know some details about his murder, deciding to expound upon why afterwards. He mentioned that in the beginning, they were working alongside the Hilena City Police, but were put solely in charge recently due to some increased crime. Red Wine kept his account succinct; it wasn’t as if Bonito Rice needed to know all the details, and if he did, they could explain more. 

“So you need to know who a murderer is? Is there a pending court case?” Bonito asked, typing details into his computer. 

“We already know who the murderer is; however, there are some strange details surrounding the actual murder itself,” Red Wine clarified. Bonito Rice made a confused face. 

“I don’t understand why you would need our services if you already know who the murderer is,” he said plainly. 

“The murderer was not aware of his actions at the time of the murder, and we have some witness accounts that it seemed like an entirely different person altogether,” Steak interjected. “We’ve previously employed an Empath Mage, but there is a force preventing him from using his magic correctly.”

Bonito Rice continued typing. 

“Interesting. So you need Sanma Shioyaki to speak with a dog. How old is it, and what is the disposition?”

Red Wine and Steak shared a look. This would be the trickiest part of the whole deal. 

“The dog is in our possession, but it is not currently living,” Red Wine said. Bonito Rice gave them an exasperated look. 

“As much as I want to help you, Sanma Shioyaki cannot talk to a _dead_ animal,” the Beast said. 

“The Empath Mage we’ve previously employed has skill with communing with the dead. He said that he can take care of the dead part as long as someone else could take care of the animal part,” Steak said.

“No,” Bonito Rice said flatly. “We don’t work with other Empaths and we don’t do dead animals.”

Red Wine pulled out his manila envelope. 

“The murderer is my brother, we’ve had him locked up awaiting information for his case to come to light so he doesn’t hurt anyone else,” Red Wine began. “We have reason to believe that these murders are a part of something bigger. Around the start of the new year, he began acting strangely, and since then, there has been a spike in crime, alcoholism, eating disorders, and death globally.” As he spoke, he pulled out the necessary documents. They were mostly the headlines from global news outlets dating back to the first day of the year. “We’ve also discovered monsters that haven’t previously existed in Hilena before.”

Bonito Rice looked at the documents and frowned when he saw the pictures. There was a moment of silence where he analyzed everything. 

“These monsters were in Sakurajima before,” he sighed. “Not this exact type, but the same time Inugami arrived and people began worshiping it, we saw similar looking monsters.” 

Red Wine and Steak didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing for their case. 

"Was that around the start of the new year?" Steak asked. 

“Yes. Look, I want to help you,” Bonito Rice said. “All I can assure is that I can give Sanma the case and he can review it and see if he wants to take it.”

Steak smiled. 

“Thank you, would you like the make a copy of all of our files?” Red Wine asked. Bonito Rice nodded and took the manila envelopes from them. He began to scan the documents, and the three waited as he did so. 

“Oh, you’ve been working with Wonton?” Bonito Rice asked. 

“Yes, do you know him?”

“I know of him. He’s relatively famous among Empath Mages. Not many can talk with the dead, and those who can don’t have his skills. The only person better than him is Tortoise Jelly,” Bonito Rice said.

Steak hadn’t known that Tortoise Jelly was an Empath Mage and that he could also speak with dead people. That explained his link with Wonton.

“How long will it take before we hear back for this case?” Red Wine asked, after receiving one manila envelope back. 

“It should be a day or two maximum. I’m normally the first line of filtering and I only give Sanma the cases that he may be interested in or can actually do. He then decides personally if he will take the case or not,” Bonito Rice explained. 

“We will be staying in town until we receive an answer, so if there’s any additional information you need, or another consultation, we’ll be here,” Steak asked, slumping in his chair. Red Wine reached over and smacked his arm, motioning for him to sit up. 

After scanning all the documents, Bonito Rice handed them back. 

“That should be all, I’ll let you know how the case goes,” Bonito Rice said. 

They left Sanma Shioyaki’s with a promising feeling. It would be difficult staying away from Hilena for any longer when they had work they needed to do, but they needed to ensure Sanma Shioyaki was on board. And while it would be difficult sharing the same room during the festival times, neither Steak nor Red Wine would complain about it _too_ much. 

Two days later, Red Wine’s phone rang with an unfamiliar number. 

“Hello, this is Red Wine,” he greeted, drying his face from where he’d washed it. 

“This is Sanma Shioyaki,” the voice on the other end said. “I’m accepting your case.”


	20. Part II: Festival Extra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know I'm posting twice today, but I wanted to add in this extra. As it's an extra, it wasn't originally in the story, but I got inspired! This is set immediately after the last chapter, so it's more like Chapter 5.5
> 
> I also want to link a work done by a friend of mine [Sazuka57](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sazuka57/pseuds/Sazuka57). If you read this fanfic and felt like you needed some Red Wine/Tempura action, then look no further! You can find a nice little fic [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16776907)

As they waited for Sanma Shioyaki’s answer, Red Wine and Steak found themselves with more time than they thought they would have. 

Despite having gotten attacked last time he went out, Red Wine made the suggestion that they should see some of the local festivities. He had wished he held on to the blade, just to make sure they were safe, but travelling in a pair would reduce their risk of getting accosted. 

On vacation and away from his worries, Steak agreed to go out, as long as they could try food without Red Wine complaining. 

Walking through the streets of Fuego Town at night was different than in the day, and even this far from Moonrise Terrace, they could still see the trickles of the festival spirit. The residents of Sakurajima were celebrating local spirits and a god named Inugami. It was Steak’s first time hearing about the local deity, and like Red Wine, was surprised to hear they went back to a more customary religion. It seemed abrupt, however, how quickly they had attached themselves to the new god. 

While he was out, Steak decided to take a page from Red Wine’s book and buy some souvenirs. Though he wouldn’t tell him that’s where he got the inspiration from. He didn’t have many people to buy gifts for, but he figured the three secretaries that helped him on a daily basis deserved at least some gifts. 

“You’re buying that for a woman?”

Steak glared at Red Wine’s comment, but at the same time, the knife collection didn’t particularly suit either Milt, Milk, or Yogurt. Red Wine laughed at him, and Steak had to say, that even at his expense, Red Wine’s laugh was nice. 

“I’ve been buying gifts for my family for centuries now, let me lend you my expertise,” he said, scanning the nearby shops. 

“Well, isn’t that nice of you,” Steak snorted, not caring enough about Red Wine’s opinion to feel embarrassed. He had no talent with choosing gifts; it was simply fact. 

“I’m on vacation. I’m relaxing,” Red Wine said, winking at Steak. The action made Steak’s stomach flip, and as much as he wanted to say it was in disgust, that would’ve been false. The two of them walked for a bit as Red Wine perused items. 

“What are Yogurt’s interests?” he asked, looking through some dresses. 

“She’s studying to become a nurse. She likes cute things, I guess,” Steak explained. Red Wine immediately stopped picking through the Sakurajima festival clothing and walked across the street to a vendor selling incenses, candles, and various other items made from local flowers and herbs. 

“Sakurajima exports a lot of jasmine and chamomile goods, so you should go for some incense or lotions,” Red Wine suggested, picking up different candles and smelling them. He had gotten some candles and salts from this specific vendor when he went on his own trip into the festivities, but it never hurt to look more. One thing he noticed both before and now was the amount of festivals toys he saw. He wondered if this particular festival was dedicated to children in some way. 

Steak grimaced, he didn’t know how Red Wine knew so much about things like this. 

“Okay, so I’ll get some incense and lotions,” he said, picking out a selection and purchasing them. 

“What does Milt like?” Red Wine asked, after they left the stall. 

“Sex, and Caviar, and sex with Caviar,” Steak said flatly.

“I assume you’re talking about the famed Psychic Mage and not the food?” Red Wine asked for clarification. 

“Yeah.”

Red Wine hummed lightly, before taking Steak’s arm and leading him through the crowd. His touch was cool on Steak’s arm, and the Demon gasped lightly. 

“Don’t get lost,” the Vampire said, leading him along to a clothing vendor. The old woman sold elaborate festival clothing, with multiple vibrant layers, that also exuded a casual-wear vibe. Fashionistas made up the majority of the woman’s customers, and some young women already browsing spoke in excited whispers while looking at Steak and Red Wine’s way. 

“Give her something nice to wear on a date,” Red Wine suggested. Steak looked at all the fabric and had no idea where to even begin in choosing something for Milt. 

The look of loss and confusion must have been evident because Red Wine sighed, pulling a few pieces from racks and holding them up. 

“This one is lightweight, but has lots of layers. Whereas this option is thicker but has more vivid colors,” he said, holding up two options. 

“The first one,” Steak said, and he paid the old woman for the clothes, who grinned at him widely. 

Now, there was only a gift for Milk left. 

Steak pondered before realizing he knew what he wanted to get her already. 

“Jewelry?” Red Wine asked, following Steak over to a festival vendor offering spiritual pieces. 

“Looking for a gift for a lovely lady back home?” the vendor asked as Steak approached. The Demon’s visage soured at the idea of Milk being in any romantic affiliation with him. It just reminded him of his issues with Ryder Van Hopp. 

“No. Just a close friend,” he responded. 

Red Wine, who was surprised at Steak taking the initiative, noticed an odd movement from the corner of his eyes. A small cat-like object disappeared behind some stalls. The Vampire went to follow it but when he turned the corner, he saw nothing. 

Pushing back through the crowd, he returned to Steak. 

“Where did you go?” Steak asked, still looking over pieces. 

“I thought I saw a cat. It looked peculiar, though.”

“Ah, you might’ve seen a Catus Spirit. They say if you give them a toy, they’ll befriend you and protect you in times of trouble,” the vendor said to Red Wine. 

“That would explain the toys,” the Vampire mused. Steak made a decision on some earrings made of glittering pale stone with pink waves. 

“A fine choice. Are you fellows going to watch the lantern parade?” 

“Lantern parade?” Steak asked. As the vendor wrapped his gift, he whistled. 

“It’s the biggest part of the festival. They walk lanterns from here all the way to Moonrise Terrace to offer goods and sacrifices to Inugami. You should go.”

Red Wine made a mental note to stop by and see it at least a little. 

The two of them continued to walk around, taking in how the streets still seemed so bright illuminated with the festivities. Steak stopped to try as much street food was possible, and Red Wine was honestly shocked at how he could put so much food away. 

At nearly 8, people began to gather to the sides of the street, and after a while, a cadence began on a large drum. From a block away, people dressed in ceremonial garb walked steadily with lanterns in hand. From the sidelines, people watched with glee, and small children waved their own imitation lanterns. Behind the ceremonial dress was a more casual procession, filled with laymen in festival wear, all holding lanterns and wrapped items to sacrifice to Inugami. 

From above, the boom of fireworks shocked them. 

The atmosphere was washed in a carefree and relaxed feeling, and everyone began cheering for the lantern processional. It was as if a spell had been cast over all of them, and washed them all in a pleasant feeling. Under the fireworks Red Wine took a step closer to Steak’s burning warmth. 

Tomorrow, they would spend the day working on their respective tasks for the case, so they needed to enjoy the festival tonight.


	21. Part II: Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this already has 21 chapters. I'm nearly done with the entire story so I need to just make sure I keep everything consistent and catch-up. I might add in more extras, which kind of serve for any ideas that don't fit, or content that might interrupt the line of the story I already have written. 
> 
> As always, I enjoy writing Calder but he does not belong to me but instead my friend Des!
> 
> We start seeing the plot really pick up momentum in this chapter! Fasten your seatbelts, the boys are going home.

They didn’t need to have another consultation, Sanma Shioyaki simply explained his terms over the phone. He included the payment for his services, which was a base fee, plus travelling compensation and an extra fee for needing to work with another Empath. He had also suggested room and board at an approved list of hotels, to which Red Wine and Steak agreed they could provide. 

Sanma Shioyaki also said that he would need Wonton’s contact information in order to schedule practice sessions to make sure they could attune their magic. If they were unable to work it out, he guaranteed a refund on everything except travel expenses. 

With everything settled out, Steak and Red Wine scheduled their room check out and flight back to Hilena. It had been nearly a week since they left Gloriville, and while they were both eager to get home, Steak also had some trepidation about Milk’s father. 

“You seem more nervous than on the way here,” Red Wine commented, when they were seated on the plane. He once again made sure his arm was on the arm rest between them in case Steak needed it. 

“There’s just some issues happening at the base,” Steak sighed. 

“You can talk about them, you know. I’m known to be a good listener,” Red Wine said. 

“Really? Your uppity ass actually listens to other people?” Steak joked.

“I absolutely do, as long as I’m not subjected to listening to petulant assholes,” he responded wittily. 

Steak huffed lightly in amusement before frowning again. The flight attendant came around to give them the drinks they ordered. Once again, Red Wine got tomato juice while Steak opted for ginger ale. 

“It’s just Milk’s father. He’s been trying to push our marriage and it’s just a bad time,” Steak sighed, and Red Wine nearly choked on his drink sputtering. He used his napkin to wipe his face. 

“You’re engaged to Milk?!” he asked incredulously, distinctly remembering how he asked Steak if Milk was his girlfriend and was told "no". 

“It was an arranged marriage deal between our parents, but since my parents died, I figured the arrangement was off the table,” Steak said. “Neither of us want it.”

“Well, that explains why you’re so close,” Red Wine said, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest. 

“I’ve been needing to hire a lawyer, but I haven’t had time. And now we have to make sure we’re prepared for Sanma Shioyaki.”

“Could you warm this up?” Red Wine asked after an awkward moment of silence, looking as if he didn’t care whether or not Steak agreed, despite the Demon knowing that Red Wine disliked cold tomato juice. 

“Ask the flight attendant,” he grumbled. 

Red Wine rolled his eyes, there was no reason for Steak to decline his suggestion in his eyes. “I’d rather bother you than bother her.”

Steak groaned in irritation, taking the tomato juice between his palms and warming it before passing it back.

Red Wine didn’t thank him, and took a sip of his tomato juice. He would have to feed when he got back, feeling the telltale itch at the back of his throat and the hunger in the pit of his stomach. 

When they took off, it was evident that Steak had resisted holding onto his hand, and Red Wine rolled his eyes, watching as the Demon dug into the arm rest. Red Wine physically put their hands together so Steak could squeeze it instead. A part of him reveled at the idea of holding Steak's hand, but he ignored that to the best of his ability. 

“It would be tragic if you damaged the arm rest,” Red Wine offered up as a weak explanation. Maybe it was his hunger, or maybe it was just the deepening of the bond they had experienced this past week, but Red Wine actually sought out Steak’s warm touch, and on the way back, they fell asleep hand in hand. 

When they landed in Hilena, it was like all hell had broken loose. Switching his phone off airplane mode meant Steak’s phone was flooded with texts he couldn’t receive while in Sakurajima, and each one seemed more panicked than the last. Red Wine’s phone was also the same, and the most recent text he had gotten from Gingerbread only had three words. 

_Don’t come home._

It seemed other people on the flight were getting similar texts, and the flight attendants came over the PAs. 

“We hope you’ve had a great flight. Due to unforeseen circumstances, it will take us a little longer to unboard. Our flight staff will be coming around and ensuring you all have safe rides to wherever you need to be, with the charge completely on us. Please enjoy your stay in Hilena and stay safe.”

“What does ‘stay safe’ mean?” Steak asked, trying to scroll through his messages. Red Wine got the crux of the information first and gasped. 

“Chief Valencia reported about the murders over the weekend and it seems the city is rioting,” Red Wine said, reading the detailed explanation from Toso. “People want to know why the city has been hiding information of the murders for so long and why Salty Tofu hasn’t been brought to trial.”

Steak shushed him when he saw other passengers’ eyes on them.

“We’ll talk about it later, let me call my office.”

When Steak rang, the phone picked up on the second ring. 

_“Steak?”_

It sounded like Milk, but her voice was full of worry and she sounded ragged. _“Where are you? Are you safe?”_

“Yes, we are. We just landed, we need a car to come get us from the airport,” Steak said. 

_“Okay, we can do that. I’ll send Calder and Milt to go get you.”_

The fact that two people would be sent to retrieve him meant that something was definitely going wrong. 

“What happened?” Steak asked. 

_“The police were getting pressured by the journalists, and since they couldn’t get in touch with you, they decided to just hold a press conference detailing what they knew. They tried to push the sickness angle, but without any concrete evidence that Salty Tofu was being influenced by something else, the journalists started defaming the police, calling them liars and slandering them for hiding important information. They called for Salty Tofu to be put to trial and some people want him executed,”_ she explained. She seemed rushed in in a panic. 

“Is everyone okay? Are you okay?” Steak asked. 

_“We’re fine, the police didn’t mention us at all, so we haven’t been tied to the case, but we’ve been overworked since some of the staff can’t come in due to riots blocking the streets. People are dying, Steak, and father’s company is in some hot water,”_ Milk said, her voice cracking. 

“Hot water?”

“One of the fever reducers they were pushing at the end of last year was recalled due to negative side effects and some people are trying to sue them and get the case out in the public.”

Steak couldn’t help but feel responsible. If they had been able to find more details sooner, then they could’ve presented information about the murders to the public in a more organized way to dismiss the panic. Still, it was surprising to hear that all this happened over the span of a few days. He was doubly surprised to hear about Milk’s father; it seemed that everything was happening at once. 

“I’m sorry. Take some time off and be with Black Tea, Red Wine and I will be on our way back shortly,” Steak said. 

_“Oh, I nearly forgot,”_ Milk added, seeming to get herself back together. _“One of the Vampires came by before things got really bad. She said they’d be hiding, but that Red Wine could contact them if they needed.”_

“Did you tell them about the rooms we furnished?” 

_“I forgot, everything was happening all at once, and I don’t have any other ways to get into contact with her,”_ Milk said solemnly.

“That’s alright. Make sure you take care of yourself.” 

_“Okay, I will. See you soon,”_ Milk said.

Steak said bye before hanging up. He opened up another message and sent it to Red Wine, who was going through his messages and the news. 

_To: Vampire Idiot_

_what is your family doing right now?_

Red Wine’s phone buzzed and he looked over at Steak, who stared out the window. He began typing. 

_From: Vampire Idiot_

_I haven’t been able to get in touch with all of them, but is seems they split up and went into hiding. Gingerbread says it’s been difficult because they’re so easily spotted and most hotels won’t accept them._

Steak was glad for his foresight. 

_To: Vampire Idiot_

_i have those rooms where your clan can stay. you could all be together, even if it’s not the most comfortable._

When he read the message, Red Wine took a sharp breath through his nose. 

“Thank you,” he breathed, his fingers flying over the screen of his phone to pass the word along to the others. 

“Do you have a ride to your destination?” the flight attendant asked as she came around. 

“We do, thank you,” Steak answered. He sent another message to Spaghetti before they left. They ended up on the plane for another 30 minutes before they were allowed to leave to get their baggage. In the airport, all over the news was coverage of riots, road closures, and deaths. 

“Jesus Christ,” Steak said in astonishment. He didn’t know people were that vicious. They gathered their bags quickly, not wanting to stay in the airport any longer, and when they walked out, Milt and Calder were standing by one of their cars. 

“Thank goodness you two are safe,” Milt said, enveloping both of them into her arms. Red Wine, who had never met this woman before, stood stock still as she hugged him. “Milk told me she caught you up on the situation?”

Steak nodded and walked to the back of the car to put in their luggage. They got in the car and drove to the base. 

“Would it be possible for me to stop by my house?” Red Wine asked, knowing it was probably not a good idea. 

“We won’t be able to, they’ve got it blocked off,” Calder responded. 

Red Wine sighed, looking out the window. 

They rode in solemn silence until they got to the base. The recent events definitely shook them all, and there seemed to be a grim shadow cast over everyone. On top of that, there were some new men Steak had never seen before, but he knew better than to ask about it in the open.

“Geez, it looks like a funeral in here,” Steak grumbled. His voice drew the attention of many people in his gang and they greeted him as he walked by. Steak left his and Red Wine’s things by the door for their security to handle, and he walked to his office. Milt and Red Wine followed him. 

In his office, lounging on the couch, was Spaghetti. 

“Your errand wasn’t easy, but I managed to find some of them,” he said, standing up. “The two weird brothers and the blonde girl still haven’t shown up, but I’ll let you know if I find them.”

“Who are you talking about?” Red Wine asked defensively. Steak put his hand up to calm the Vampire. 

“I asked Spaghetti to use his network to find as many Vampires as he could and bring them here,” Steak explained. Red Wine calmed down. 

“But one of the rooms isn’t ready yet, and there were two more than expected. The tall one and the tiny one said they could share a room, and the other tiny one is in a room, but there’s 4 Vampires left and only 2 rooms,” Spaghetti explained. 

“Sweet and Salty Tofu can share a room. I can sleep on a couch,” Red Wine said. 

“You’re not sleeping on a couch, dumbass. You can take the spare room in my apartment.”

Spaghetti rose an eyebrow and smirked. 

“Well, if it works, then it works, I’ll be on my way now,” Spaghetti said, walking from the office. 

Milt shut the office door behind him so just the three of them were in there. 

“I assume everything is fine since Red Wine is still working with you, but I need a clear plan of what you’re going to do with this case,” she said seriously. When Milt was serious she could get scary, and Steak looked to the Vampire. 

“We currently have a few different leads for more information right now. We have some Empath Mages working to see if there was anything strange about the murders, someone at the Church is doing some research on the sickness that transferred to Salty Tofu, the possible connection between Salty Tofu speaking Latin and the disappearance of souls, and we have a task force dedicated to finding and researching monsters,” Steak explained. 

“So nothing concrete?” Milt asked, raising a small, round eyebrow. 

“We’re doing all we can,” Steak responded. 

“As the former head of these operations, I would hate to see this gang go up in flames, but I’m going to trust that you know what you’re doing. Caviar is having horrible premonitions about the end of the world, and in my honest opinion, I think everything that’s going on currently is related to your case,” she said, crossing her arms. 

They had had a similar suspicion. 

“I know you already plan on it, but you need to make Ryder Van Hopp one of your priorities. He’s been bringing muscle into the base and it’s been causing some tension,” Milt said. Steak groaned. “I already thought there was something fishy going on with him, and with the recent lawsuits to his company, it’s been confirmed that they sold some shady medicine. You need to cut all connections with Hopp Corporation.”

Red Wine, who had been letting them speak, interrupted. “Like the pharmaceutical company?”

“Yes, why? Do you know something?” Milt asked, her round eyebrows lowering. 

“Nothing incriminating. We use a lot of their medicines,” Red Wine mentioned. 

Milt hummed and turned to fully Red Wine, but Steak wondered dimly if the lawsuit for Ryder Van Hopp and Salty Tofu’s conditions were related due to what Milk had told him over the phone. 

“Your family is downstairs, Toso said to come see her when you got in,” she said, opening the door. Red Wine nodded, taking the souvenirs he got for his family from the door.

“I’ll show you where the rooms are,” Steak said, and led him down a flight of stairs to what used to be a large basement and storage area. It was obvious the place used to be a small warehouse from the space. The place had been completely redone so that there was an open room downstairs with couches and a dining area, and a kitchen. There were five doors, but one of them had caution tape blocking it off. When they got downstairs, Cold Rice Shrimp and Rice were sitting in the main room, playing on the rug while Toso watched the news. 

“Big brother Red Wine!” Cold Rice Shrimp screamed gleefully, running to the other Vampire and hugging him. Red Wine couldn’t help but smile softly. 

“You’re late,” Toso barked, not taking her eyes off the screen. Rice looked up at Red Wine, obviously unsure of how she should act. 

“There were some complications at the airport,” Red Wine explained, going through the bags. “But I’ve brought souvenirs.”

Rice’s ears perked at the word “souvenirs” and Toso finally turned to look at him. He pulled out the two separate bags of dresses and toys for Rice and Cold Rice Shrimp. 

“I didn’t know what size you were, so I got a few, you can go try them on and let me know how they fit,” Red Wine explained to Rice. She nodded and rushed to what the darker haired Vampire presumed was the bedroom she was sharing with Toso and shut the door. 

He handed Toso the Invisible Wine he got from Sakurajima. 

“I didn’t know if you’d had it before, but all the locals say it’s amazing. It’s the sacrificial wine they give to a local God named Inugami,” Red Wine said, and Toso smirked. 

“I actually haven’t. Thanks for the thoughtful gift,” she said. 

Feeling like he couldn’t interject until now, Steak cleared his throat. 

“I don’t know if anybody mentioned this, but the kitchen doesn’t work yet, but we should have an electrician that can come down and fix it soon,” Steak said. “In the meantime, you can use my kitchen upstairs.”

“We don’t really cook. Since we drink blood,” Toso said matter-of-factly, and at the reminder, Red Wine remembered he hadn’t fed in a week. The light foods had been tiding him over, but with no access to their house, they didn’t have any of their blood supply. 

“Is there anyway our sponsors could come here?” Red Wine asked, concerned. “Or can blood be dropped off here?” Red Wine had never seen or met the person who delivered their blood, but he assumed an exception could be made.

“I think both of those options would be a dead giveaway that we’re hosting Vampires at this base, we’ll have to see what we can do to be more covert,” Toso sighed, crossing her arms. Staying in such close vicinity with Demons and Half-Demons would be hard if they were having such a long stretch between feedings. 

Red Wine was hungry. 

Rice came out in her clothes, looking very cute in them. 

“Thank you, Red Wine,” she said softly, giving him a hug with trepidation. Red Wine hugged her back. Cold Rice Shrimp, who had been busy playing with her new toys while they talked, turned her head. 

“Yes, thank you, big brother Red Wine,” she called from her spot on the rug. 

Steak actually thought it was cute how much Red Wine cared about his family. 

“Where are you sleeping?” Toso asked.

“Upstairs. Steak has an extra room. When Gingerbread, Sweet Tofu, and Salty Tofu get here, they can take the two rooms down here,” he explained. Toso pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes warily. 

“Alright. I’ll probably take you up on that offer to make breakfast tomorrow morning. It’ll help stave off the hunger,” she said, turning back to watch the news. “Thank you for letting us stay here.”

“No problem,” Steak mentioned, turning to walk back up the stairs. Red Wine went with him, and when they got to the main level, they walked up the other flight of stairs that led to Steak’s apartment. Their luggage was at the door, and Steak unlocked it, bringing in his own luggage and helping Red Wine with some of his. He walked towards the guest bedroom, the Vampire following behind him. 

“Sorry if it’s a little messy, but it should work fine,” Steak said. 

It was evident that this room had been converted from Steak’s childhood bedroom, despite the lack of any pictures or décor. He realized it before, but Steak's house was very bland, as if it weren't a permanent residence. 

For someone so warm, his house was so…cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Many. Italics. 
> 
> So now they're living together, ooooohh~ Expect developments with their relationship.


	22. Part II: Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is the day I will die. Early morning update for me because I had 7000 assignments due today.

It had been two days after Steak and Red Wine got back that they finally found Gingerbread, Salty Tofu, and Sweet Tofu. 

Because both of the Tofu brothers were more recognizable from the news and people were searching for them, they had been much more difficult to find, as they were moving from place to place and squatting at best. They were found outside of the Demon’s territory in Hilena as well, which made them slightly more difficult to find. 

During that time, Steak had made sure to look into Salty Tofu’s medical file from earlier on in the case, having not gone through them with a fine toothed comb until now. He found that Red Wine’s claim of using Hopp medicine was true, and Steak wondered if maybe the medicine had caused Salty Tofu’s transformation. The timing was too coincidental.

But after finding the last three Vampires, Steak was introduced to the hardest problem: figuring out how the Vampires were going to eat. 

Most of them hadn’t fed in at least a week, not thinking they would have all their resources cut off, and when in contact with the rest of the base, they couldn’t help but bore holes into Steak’s workers with hungry eyes and gaunt faces. It was demoralizing to the people who already had to brave rioting to get to the base.

The man who worked at the blood center who delivered them blood couldn’t make deliveries anymore, despite his desire to help them. Milk was the one who had the bright idea to see if they could draw blood right at the base. There was enough critical staff, and with Yogurt's planning, they figured out a way to get the necessary amounts.

After careful coordination, they agreed to meet so that the man who worked at the blood donation center could bring the proper equipment. Because she was only a nursing student, there was no way for Yogurt to conceivably sneak IVs into the base. 

When Miso Soup pulled around the back of the base, Steak couldn’t believe it. 

“You were that monk from the bar,” Steak said, and Miso Soup shushed him. Red Wine was too hungry to smile, but found it amusing nevertheless. 

“Don’t mention that!” he hissed, pulling out the IVs and blood bags from the back of his car. “I was only able to bring two IVs, which means only two people can donate at a time. Do you have someone on your staff who is trained in drawing blood?” 

Yogurt raised her hand. 

“Good. Now, people can only donate once every three months, and a Vampire needs at least one of these blood bags a week, so you will need to make sure you have a good supply of people. Maybe cut back on feedings,” Miso Soup said, more to Red Wine than to Steak. The Demon was horrible at math, but he trusted Milk and Yogurt's donation rotation. Hopefully, the Vampires wouldn’t be here for more than 3 months. 

They helped Miso Soup get the equipment from the car and set it up in Steak’s office. Once everything was ready, two volunteers sat down on the couch, ready to give blood. 

“This is such a bad idea,” Miso Soup said, working side-by-side with Yogurt to disinfect the area they were going to stick. 

The blood drawing actually went pretty well, and once the process was done, two units of blood were ready. Steak took them, and handed one to Red Wine. 

“Why are you giving me this?” he asked, despite the way he looked at the blood. 

“You need it don’t you?” he asked, walking from his office to go downstairs. Red Wine followed him. 

“Salty Tofu and Cold Rice Shrimp need it more,” he commented. When they got downstairs, it was as if all the Vampires honed in on the blood. 

“We’ll have more ready in a little bit, but right now we’ll feed Salty Tofu and Cold Rice Shrimp,” Steak said, passing his bag to Sweet Tofu. He gave a desperate look at the blood in the bag, but his dedication to Salty Tofu won over, and he took the blood to his twin, who had been chained down to the new room. Steak never saw him when he wasn’t in a frenzy, spewing Latin, but the others insisted he was lucid at least some parts during the day; albeit less now than before. 

After giving the blood away, they went back upstairs to repeat the process. 

Miso Soup had to leave after a while, leaving Milk and Yogurt to continue the slow going process of drawing blood. With every new bag, Red Wine seemed worse and worse at handling himself, but was adamant to feed his clan first. 

“I’m going to go lie down,” he finally said after a while, looking pale and haggard. Steak continued to oversee, and when the last bag had been made, he brought it downstairs for Toso. Now they only needed one more bag, and when it was finally collected, Steak took it upstairs himself. When he got there, he knocked on the door.

“Go away,” Red Wine hissed from the other side of the door. 

“Dinner time,” Steak said, dimly worried about Red Wine’s odd behavior. 

The door swung open and Red Wine took the blood hastily, bringing up to his mouth and poking a hole in the bag with his fang, drinking the blood like yogurt in a tube.

"Go away,” he said in a low and dangerous voice, the blood bag still held up to his mouth. Steak could see where Red Wine was physically holding himself back, and realized that the Vampire was putting on a brave act earlier. He should’ve been one of the first fed. Despite having a blood bag in hand, Steak could see the predatory gleam in Red Wine's eyes when he looked at him.

Steak didn’t wait for a response, and instead just went back downstairs, making sure they put some blood on reserve. For a moment he wondered if he should’ve let the Vampire feed from him earlier, considering the sorry state Red Wine was in. He was sure the Vampire could’ve waited until the last donation was done, but there was something about how haggard Red Wine looked that made the situation feel urgent. He also couldn’t deny that the idea had crossed his mind maybe once before to have Red Wine drink from him. Steak could even argue it was just simple curiosity, even though he knew that was bullshit. 

When Steak went downstairs to make sure the last bag of blood was drawn and the IV equipment was put away properly, a familiar and unpleasant face was waiting on him. 

“Steak,” Milk’s father said in a solemn voice. 

“Shouldn’t you be somewhere else?” Steak grumbled, brushing past him to go to his office. He had no patience to deal with Ryder Van Hopp today, and felt the flames under his skin tingle in irritation. 

“I won’t let up on the engagement affairs.”

As if Ryder Van Hopp had lit a fuse, Steak exploded, fire bursting forth from his skin and swirling around him in a vortex. It burnt his clothes, but his skin was impervious to the magic flames. 

“ _Enough_ with the engagement. Your agreement was with my parents. Who are dead. You have no right to impose your will here. We will not be helping your company clean up it's legal messes. Leave.”

Milk’s father huffed, standing his ground with Steak as his face burned hot with shame. Steak wouldn't back down, only letting his flames rage in a show of intimidation. His men at the base were watching with baited breath, knowing that if Steak burned too much, he would be at risk of catching the building on fire. After a few tense moments, Ryder Van Hopp turned on his heel to leave, trying to retain his dignity. 

"You haven't seen the last of me," he hissed before slamming their front door. 

Steak snorted, making the flames dissipate. He may have handled that issue, but he burned a hole through one of his favorite shirts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was probably the most edited chapter I've posted. The original was so bad, and the final product is still just kind of meh. Definitely a transitional chapter here.


	23. Part II: Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An old face returns!

Hamburger, worried about his friend, sent Steak many unanswered texts. It wasn’t that Steak was ignoring him, it just wasn’t pressing to see Hamburger right now, and he had other priorities. One of which was making sure the area downstairs was fit for the Vampires to live there for the next few weeks. 

He needed to move boxes from his room upstairs as well, not liking personal boxed items so close to where Red Wine was staying. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, he invited Hamburger over to help him do some moving and construction work. 

Steak, donning a faded, fitted tee and some old joggers, went to greet Hamburger personally. Hamburger was also dressed casually, in a tank top with a light sweater, and jeans. He had been worried for Steak when he hadn’t answered any texts from being out of the country, and he had a sneaking suspicion that all the drama happening was somehow related to Steak. 

“Steak!” he said, hugging the Demon. It came as a shock to Steak, who didn’t have that type of relationship with Hamburger, but he figured that they had done a lot more than hug in the past, so he awkwardly patted the Strength Mage’s back. “I was so worried about you, dude. People are wildin’ out here!”

“What does that even mean,” Steak asked, pulling away from Hamburger and walking inside. 

“You know, they’re acting wild,” Hamburger explained, walking in behind him. “So, what are we doing today?”

“I need to move some stuff and we’re doing some handiwork,” he explained simply. 

They headed upstairs first to move the boxes. Red Wine had been curled up on the couch with his laptop looked up when they came in. Because he wasn’t planning on going anywhere, his hair was down and he wore an outfit similar to what he wore to Parisel, sporting black yoga pants and a cream colored light tee shirt with a large knitted brown jacket. In his hair, he had a headband to keep his bangs out of his face, and his eyes widened briefly when he saw Hamburger and Steak walk in the room. 

Steak typically wore sports jackets, polos and button-downs, trying to retain a professional image for his gang. All of his clothes were formal and looked absolutely delicious on him, but it had become the normal to expect Steak to be dressed up. To see him in such casual clothes that fit him well and left little to the imagination when it came to physique made Red Wine swallow thickly. He was glad his laptop was on his lap. 

They walked into the guest bedroom to begin moving some of the boxes to a closet. 

“How have things with Cola been?” Steak asked, trying to be prosocial. 

“Oh, uh, I misunderstood that situation,” Hamburger said, a bit awkwardly, lifting a box. 

Leave it to Steak to step on a landmine, but at the same time, mentioning the Elemental Mage made him remember the Grindr incident. Not that it was terribly important, Steak hadn't even opened the app since Sakurajima.

“Oh, sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I thought he was talking about me when he mentioned liking a guy, but he’s really interested in this guy he goes to school with. They had a gen ed class together. He wants to make films and stuff. One of those artsy types,” Hamburger prattled on, but the shortness of his sentences told Steak that he was upset about the situation. 

“Did you tell him how you felt?” Steak asked, grabbing another box and walking from the room. 

Red Wine tried to be subtle as he watched them walk by holding the boxes. 

“Dude, I can’t just drop that on him now. He seems really interested in this guy,” Hamburger said. Red Wine hummed. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but in all the centuries of my life, I’ve found it’s best if you voice your feelings sooner rather than later,” Red Wine interjected, sipping at the tea in his cup. “Even if it doesn’t work out.”

Not that he took his own advice all of the time, but maybe he would start. 

Hamburger sighed. 

“I guess I can do that,” he said solemnly before patting Steak on the shoulder. “I just feel bad now for cutting our arrangement off.”

Red Wine raised an eyebrow. 

Steak shot Hamburger a hard look that told him to stop talking. 

There weren’t too many boxes in the room, so moving them into the storage closet wasn’t much of an issue, it was working downstairs that would be the issue. 

“Do you need any help?” Red Wine asked, as he watched them leave. 

“We should be fine,” Steak said, walking out the door. When they were gone, the Vampire resisted the urge to pout. 

He wanted to stare at them as they worked. 

When they went downstairs, Gingerbread was doing a sketch of something in the main room, and other people were in their rooms. She looked up when they came down the stairs. 

“Red Wine isn’t with you?” Gingerbread asked. From Sweet Tofu and Salty Tofu’s room, Steak could hear Salty Tofu acting up. 

“Why would he be?” Steak asked, walking towards the fridge. He had brought a toolbox downstairs earlier, and just needed to work on connecting everything. 

Gingerbread looked them over for another moment before turning back to her work. 

“No reason.”

They began working on connecting the refrigerator to the plumbing and also electricity. With the two of them together, it didn’t take too long to get it up and running. They moved to make sure the sink was properly connected when Red Wine came down the stairs. Gingerbread wasn’t surprised at all that he found himself down here, and she moved aside for him to sit with her on the couch. He set his tea on the side counter and re-positioned himself on the couch, folding his legs under him and putting his laptop on his lap. 

“You couldn’t be more obvious,” Gingerbread mumbled, only within Red Wine’s earshot. He nudged her with his shoulder. “Just talk to him,” she added. 

“I will,” Red Wine said, taking another sip and watching him over the rim of his cup as he worked. He happened to look up right as Steak was holding his arm across his chest to stretch his shoulder. From the counter, Hamburger's phone buzzed and he checked it, leaving Steak to continue by himself.

“Did you hear about that family in Sakurajima?” Hamburger asked, staring at his phone in surprise. 

Steak, who was left alone to slide the drawers into the refrigerator, sighed in an irritated manner. 

“No.”

“They were murdered.”

Red Wine, who had heard “Sakurajima” and “murdered”, had his interest piqued. They had just come from there, and wondered if it could’ve been them who was murdered instead. 

“What?” Steak asked, wiping his hands off on his pants. 

“Yeah, the story just came out. Apparently a family of 4 from Gloriville was taken hostage and sacrificed during the festival to their god Inugami. The Clemens’ aren’t happy,” Hamburger explained, scrolling through the article. 

“I would imagine not,” Gingerbread interjected, looking for the article on her own phone, not that she had to dig much, as it had come as major news to all reporting outlets.   
Steak’s phone rang from where it sat on the counter, and when the Demon answered, he was surprised to hear Spaghetti’s voice. 

_"So I’ve got some good news and bad news,”_ he said, and Steak could tell immediately that whatever he had to say wouldn’t be good.

“What happened,” Steak grumbled, thinking it was about the murders in Sakurajima. 

_”So, you won’t have to marry Milk anymore, Van Hopp has called the engagement off.”_

Steak felt a weight lifted off his chest, wondering if there could be any news bad enough that trumped his relief. 

_” But the news I think you won't like so much is that I’m marrying Milk instead.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> duh duh duuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnn. Spaghetti coming in and making things more difficult. 
> 
> I'm not gonna say someone who decides to draw RW or Steak's outfits in this chapter wins favor in my heart, but I've seen some of y'alls fanart and it legit makes me scream. 
> 
> For all of you wondering if Hamburger was going to be McDead because of the Grindr thing, don't worry, there will definitely be a little revenge exacted. Steak just doesn't have the time to worry about something as small as that right now lmao


	24. Part II: Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a little discombobulated with the extra.
> 
> EVEN MORE familiar faces return

Steak had never hired a lawyer so quickly to try and work out the details of the arranged marriage. The only sticky thing in the whole agreement was that Ryder Van Hopp was completely in the right to demand the wedding unless certain conditions were met. 

“What do you mean I have to pay him 7.5 _billion_ dollars?!” Steak yelled into his receiver. He was alone in his apartment, but he wouldn't be surprised if his booming voice could still be heard by everyone on the floor below. 

_”The marriage contract was originally signed by your parents to waive a debt they owed, so unless you pay the fee, he has every legal right to demand reparations.”_ his lawyer said, not seemingly intimidated by Steak’s loud yelling. 

“So he’s allowed to change the terms and ask for my brother to marry Milk instead?”

_”You mean Ms. Amelia Van Hopp? Yes. He is within legal right to do so.”_

Steak wanted to curse his parents in their graves. He was definitely glad to hear he wouldn’t have to marry Milk, but having Spaghetti marry her was just as horrible, if not worse. Steak couldn’t begin to imagine what he would put her through as her husband. 

“Is there _any_ way to stop this? A clause or anything somewhere?” he asked, seeing the clock on his nightstand and being rushed with panic. He was late. 

_”The only way besides paying him that fine is if he has his rights stripped away, either by an arrest for a lasting period of time, or something of that nature.”_

It wasn’t that Steak though stopping this marriage wasn’t worth 7.5 billion dollars, but the gang would see a bit of a strain in some of its immediate operations. He began gathering the necessary clothes he would need for his later meeting and headed out of his apartment to go to his office. Steak needed to make sure he had the information he needed. 

“An arrest,” he mused, walking down the stairs. “I’ll figure something out, I’ll call you back.” Without waiting for a response, Steak hung up the phone. The proposed wedding between Spaghetti and Milk wasn’t for another month, and currently, Steak had other things to worry about. As he left, he dialed another number. 

_“What can I do for you?”_

“Omurice, I need you to get me any incriminating evidence about Ryder Van Hopp.”

 _“Ooh,”_ the other man hummed. _“That’s the guy that released those medications that made people mad? What connection do you have with him?”_

“Does it matter?” Steak asked, quickly locking his apartment door behind him as he left to go downstairs. 

_“I guess not. Give me a day or two, and I’ll give you all the dirt that exists on this guy.”_

“Thanks,” Steak said before hanging up the phone.

He met Red Wine in his office, and he rushed to get dressed for meeting Sanma Shioyaki. 

“What are you staring at?” 

Red Wine quickly averted his gaze upon being caught. 

“You know, you truly are the epitome of a meathead. You have a nice body, but zero brains to back it up.”

At this point, Steak couldn’t waste energy getting worked up over every one of Red Wine’s comments. They had a fairly famous Empath Mage flying in from Sakurajima to catch and changing in his room 30 minutes before the flight landed meant they were strapped for time, on top of the stressful scenario with Spaghetti. It didn’t help that the riots had started due to the leaked information about Salty Tofu held up traffic. Because of the murders in Sakurajima, the entire country was in unrest, and there was even talk of going to war if the other nation did not cooperate with sharing information and exacting justice on the murderers.

The Vampire was leaning on his door, and despite Red Wine’s routine taking longer than Steak’s, he had already been ready, and was wearing a light gray suit that looked amazing on him. 

“Are you flirting with me?” Steak said flatly, continuing their usual line of banter as he reached to grab his shirt. 

“Perhaps.”

Steak paused and it was as if the air had been sucked from the room. 

Normally, Red Wine would deny it with outlandish accusations and berating comments. Steak was surprised to hear a “perhaps” and his heart skipped. 

“What?”

“I said ‘perhaps’. Are you hard of hearing?”

Steak grabbed his under-shirt and tugged it over his head. He didn’t know how to respond to Red Wine. 

“Are you being serious?” he asked after a moment. Red Wine pursed his lips and crossed his arms. 

“Why would I joke about that?”

“Steak, the plane is about to land,” Milk said, popping her head into the room. She looked a bit worn from recent events, but she still had the air of calm professionalism that served as Steak’s rock. He really needed to get her out of this situation. Beside her was Black Tea, who had refused to leave her side since her father came back into the picture. 

“We’ll talk about this later,” Steak said, grateful for the moment to think about what he wanted to say. Of course, Red Wine was riding with him to the airport, but it’s not like they would talk about what just transpired while in front of Milk and Black Tea.

In the car, Steak took the time to button his white shirt and tie his tie. He had the matching suit jacket for his pants across his lap, and he’d put it on when they got out of the car. As a gang boss and someone picking up Sanma Shioyaki, he needed to look his best. And he couldn’t be outdone by Red Wine. 

When they pulled up to the airport, Steak and Red Wine got out of the car, going to where people would be getting off the planes. They made sure to check and see if they hadn’t missed Sanma Shioyaki’s flight coming in; first impressions were key. Seeing as they had a few minutes, Steak decided to sit on a bench to wait for the plane. He brushed his fingers through his hair and worried if it was messy. Red Wine stood beside him. 

“Do I look alright?” he asked Red Wine, and before he got the sentence out of his mouth, he knew the question was dangerous after their conversation earlier. 

Red Wine cocked one of his eyebrows and stuck his hands in his pockets. 

“Do you want my honest opinion?” he asked. 

Steak narrowed his eyes warily. 

“Yes?” He certainly didn’t want a lie. 

Red Wine leaned closer to him. 

“I think you look ravishing.”

Steak actually felt his body temperature rise. Who said things like that? Especially considering that being out in the opened with a Vampire was dangerous for both of them.  
People began to flood off the plane that landed, and Red Wine hid a laugh at Steak’s expense as he tried to get his flustered appearance under control. Steak honestly didn’t have the time to be getting so worked up over Red Wine’s teasing.

“Fuck you,” Steak hissed. Red Wine resisted the urge to comment snarkily. Steak didn’t know what happened, but Red Wine was coming on a little strong, and he didn’t know if the Vampire was actually being serious.

They didn’t know what Sanma Shioyaki looked like, considering he was a relatively private person, but when they saw Bonito Rice, they knew the people they were waiting on had arrived. 

“Hello, it’s nice to see you again,” Bonito Rice said, shaking their hands.  
Who they assumed was Sanma Shioyaki was wearing a kimono and hakama with a long coat over it. His light hair was tied in a ponytail and in a medium sized carrier were two cats. He looked calm, elegant, and lovely.

“I can take your luggage,” Steak said, holding out his hand expectantly. Sanma Shioyaki passed over his bags, but held on to the cat carrier. 

“How was your flight?” Red Wine asked, taking Bonito Rice’s bags. 

“It was good, we sat on the plane for a while, and they asked about our transportation,” Sanma said. Milk and Black Tea were in the car and had it running for them and unlocked the door when Steak and Red Wine went to put their luggage in the back. Milk stepped out to open the door for Sanma Shioyaki and Bonito Rice. They made sure to bring one of their larger cars that fit 8.

Their first destination was the hotel where Sanma Shioyaki and Bonito Rice were staying. Afterwards they sent his straight to Wonton, not wanting to put off the time any longer. 

“You must be Sanma Shioyaki, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Wonton said cordially, bowing. 

Sanma Shioyaki bowed in return, the cats at his feet meowing. 

“It is nice to meet another famed Empath Mage. I heard from Steak and Red Wine that Tortoise Jelly also lives here?”

“He does,” Wonton said, flipping his hair over his shoulder. “Let’s hope the media doesn’t find us all together. They’ll have a fun time with this story.” Wonton stepped aside to let the four of them in so they could consult. 

It took a few days of Wonton and Sanma Shioyaki working together endlessly to finally manifest a coherent enough spirit. Steak sent muscle to transport Sanma Shioyaki and Bonito Flake to Wonton and Tortoise Jelly, considering the violence that Hilena had sunk into, and that Sanma Shioyaki was working the case for them. 

Steak took that time to dig into all the dirt on Hopp he received from Omurice. He looked into the fever reducer and the lawsuits that had claimed the medication had made people go crazy. He also noticed that the timing of the medication being released, and Salty Tofu’s murder spree happened to line up. And not only that, but it also seemed like the CEO was funneling lots of money to a secret account. So secret, that Omurice said he’d need a little more time to crack it. 

Knowing he couldn’t use Spaghetti to get him any information, Steak worked with the information available to him, sending his suspicions and reports to the police office in hopes they could get a warrant to investigate a possible link between the medication and the murders, and if not, arrest him on other charges.  
If he played his cards right, he could kill two birds with one stone.

\-----x~*~x-----

“I think you’re getting ahead of yourself,” Red Wine said when Steak came to him for the update. His answer made Steak irrationally angry.

“Do you have any better ideas? It’s no coincidence that the medication was released and that Salty Tofu used it and then began exhibiting negative symptoms.”

“Yes, but no one else who had negative side effects murdered people. And they all changed back. It’s been nearly half a year and Salty Tofu is still locked up,” Red Wine explained. “It doesn’t explain the sudden Latin, it doesn’t explain why Wonton can’t communicate with the deceased souls, and it doesn’t give us any concrete way on getting Salty Tofu back to normal.”

Tired and exhausted, Steak groaned. 

“So you’re saying Van Hopp _shouldn’t_ be locked up for his faulty meds?”

“I’m saying that your motivation for justice isn’t pure.”

Steak huffed, steam spilling from his mouth. He had wanted an answer so bad to everything that maybe he’d been too short-sighted. 

He was mad it was Red Wine that had to bring him back to task though. 

“I’m going to go smoke.”

It was sweltering outside, and wearing suits and sports jackets meant that Steak, who was already warm-natured, felt even hotter. It was miserable, but he also hated everything smelling like cigarette smoke, which is why he rarely smoked inside. 

Halfway through his cigarette, his phone rang. 

“Spaghetti, what do you-“

 _”What did you do?”_ Spaghetti snarled, and Steak felt the pinpricks of danger rush down his spine. _”The cops just came with a warrant and are turning over everything at Hopp Corp.”_

There was a pang of guilt considering the conversation he’d just had with Red Wine, but there wasn’t much he could do since he had submitted anonymous information. In all honesty, he didn’t feel too bad about giving Ryder Van Hopp some trouble. 

“I didn’t do anything, and if he’s clean, he’s clean,” Steak said before ending the call. He didn't have the patience to talk with Spaghetti right now. 

The door beside him open, and Red Wine came out. 

“The police-“

“I know,” Steak interrupted, finishing the last drag before dropping the cigarette butt, crushing it under the sole of his shoe. “They’re at Hopp Corporations.”

Red Wine tilted his head slightly in confusion , not knowing how Steak had heard so fast. 

“Well, it’s on the news, come see.”

_”We are covering police officials live as they storm the office of Hopp Corporations CEO Ryder Van Hopp. An anonymous tip to the police was recorded two days ago making a possible link between Hopp Corporation’s new drug Adrill, and the murders that started in early January. The police asked for records of lab testing done on the new drug, and found millions of dollars’ worth of illicit drugs instead.”_

“Wait, what?” Steak asked, eyes widening as he sat down to watch more intently. He hadn’t known Van Hopp was still in the shady drug business. 

_”Police have arrested CEO Ryder Van Hopp and are pressing him for further information.”_

Together, Red Wine and Steak watched the rest of the news story in his office. It seemed that while Milk’s father’s drug wasn’t the cause of Salty Tofu’s sudden shift, he was at least in jail, which nullified all engagements. He would have to tell Milk. 

When the two of them went downstairs, the other Vampires seemed in high spirits. After hearing the news, it was like a weight lifted off Sweet Tofu’s chest, and he went to go be with his brother. Red Wine and Steak shared a look, wondering if they should break the revelry. 

“I think this calls for a celebration,” Toso said. “We’re one step closer to discovering a way to cure Salty Tofu.”

Steak was surprised to hear her try to lighten the mood, but he expected she wanted to both boost morale, but also have an excuse to drink as she pulled out the Invisible Wine Red Wine brought her from Sakurajima. There was guilt at hiding that the drug had nothing to do with Salty Tofu's condition, and he looked at Red Wine.

“Let’s let them have it,” Red Wine said. “We’ll tell them in the morning.”

Steak called down Milt, who was working as the secretary, knowing that the Vampires probably shouldn’t have more than one serving of wine each.

The definitely needed a little time to relax, and Steak had one of his workers go buy some supplies for a small party. Specifically, non-alcoholic drinks for the younger looking Vampires, and those that wouldn’t drink. 

“I know we are excited, but are we really going to have a party right now?” Red Wine asked, feeling like it was a bit of an inappropriate time. 

“When I say ‘jump’, Red Wine, the only question you should ask is ‘how high?’” Toso said devilishly, connecting her phone to the television in order to play her music through the TV speakers. For someone who lived for so long, and for someone usually so serious, Steak was expecting an older playlist, but he was actually surprised to hear some top 40s hits.

Once the non-alcoholic drinks arrived, they began pouring, with Steak, Toso, Red Wine, Gingerbread, and Milt being the only ones drinking. Sweet Tofu, who had hid himself away in his room with Salty Tofu, asked not to be disturbed. 

The Invisible Wine was strong, and it only took a few glasses before Steak was feeling the alcohol. Milt, who was an experienced drinker, got in a drinking contest with Toso, whom she had surprisingly clicked with easily. 

Red Wine; however, was being watched closely by Gingerbread and Steak. Gingerbread only had one glass before switching over to non-alcoholic drinks, and Rice and Cold Rice Shrimp played together. Steak wasn’t really into parties, and he found himself leaning against the wall just watching everyone. 

“If I didn’t know you, I’d ask why you were being so antisocial.”

Steak turned to Red Wine, who had a bit of a flush to his skin because of the alcohol. The party had been going for about an hour, but could be described more as a social, and because Red Wine had let the wine sit in, he was already feeling the effects. It was a much different scenario then when they were at Parisel, despite only having two drinks. 

“Are you going to be sick again tomorrow?” Steak asked, swirling the dregs of his drink in his glass. 

“I don’t think so, but would you take care of me if I did,” Red Wine asked, not looking over at the Demon. Steak turned to look at him. There he was, throwing out dangerously flirty lines like it was nothing. 

“Why are you doing that?” Steak asked, irritated.

Red Wine grinned. “Doing what?”

“Flirting with me.”

Red Wine hummed. “Who’s to say? I think you’re attractive, and I guess you _are_ relatively useful.”

Steak snorted at that. “Gee, thanks,” he said, finishing his drink. He was feeling cynical about Red Wine’s actions. In the midst of all the serious news they’d gotten, Red Wine must’ve been teasing him, and Steak didn’t appreciate it. Especially now that he knew he was one of the targets of some pretty powerful people and could die relatively soon. “If you were serious then why would you tell me 'no' when I asked if you wanted to hook up?”

“I was surprised. Your question caught me off guard.”

The answer was not at all what Steak was expecting and he felt himself getting a little embarrassed, especially knowing that at least physically, there were some mutual feelings.

“Interesting,” Steak said, not knowing what else to say and trying to drink more of his drink, despite having just finished it. Awkward. 

Red Wine chuckled at him and took the glass, pouring the remainder of his third glass into Steak’s. 

“Hey gays, who’s ready for lap dances?” Milt said, interrupting their intimate moment. She was notorious for being a bit of a sloppy drunk, not that she wasn’t a little sloppy while she was sober. Red Wine, who was feeling a little cheeky, grinned, setting his glass on the nearest surface. 

“Nope,” Steak said, drinking the Invisible Wine Red Wine gave him. 

“Don’t be such a wet blanket, Steaky~!” Milt groaned. 

“Steaky?” Red Wine repeated with amusement, raising his eyebrows.

“I changed this kids diapers, the least he could do is let me grind on those sweet abs,” Milt complained. Red Wine couldn’t help but laugh at Steak’s expense. Steak groaned, hiding his face behind his free hand. 

“Lap dance, lap dance,” Toso began chanting, and before long, the four other adults were chanting. Steak hadn’t noticed but Rice and Cold Rice Shrimp had been put to bed.

“Fine,” Steak growled, knowing he would regret it, receiving cheers from everyone else. 

“So here’s how it’s gonna work,” Milt began, dubbing herself in charge since it was her idea. “We’re all gonna give Steak a lap dance and the winnnnneerrr-“

“Winner?" Steak asked incredulously, already hating where this was going. "Absolutely not. Party’s over.”

His announcement was met with some boos, but in reality, most of them knew it was a good idea to shut it down. 

“I’m gonna go take a walk,” Gingerbread told Red Wine. The blonde often liked to cool off after drinking by taking a stroll. Because of the current situation, Red Wine was slightly worried for her, but he knew Gingerbread was stronger than she appeared, and there shouldn’t be anyone out this late. 

At least that’s how his mind rationalized it while inebriated.

Steak, being more sober than some of the others, made sure everyone got to their rooms and when Red Wine was left, he tugged the Vampire towards the stairs. 

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Red Wine started, wobbling a little as he looked at the stairs. “I am not sure if I can make it up.”

Steak rolled his eyes and groaned, but got down so he could give Red Wine a piggyback ride. Red Wine climbed on his back, and much like when he rode Steak’s motorcycle, the feeling of the other pressed against his back was comforting. Even moreso now that Steak had some alcohol in him and they had talked. One of the things that struck Steak as odd was how cold the Vampire was. He wasn’t necessarily cold, but he lacked living warmth, and at best his skin felt lukewarm. 

Carefully, he walked up the first flight of stairs, making sure he didn’t trip. He nearly did when Red Wine nosed at the crook of his ear. 

“Stop that,” Steak grumbled. 

“Smells good,” Red Wine mumbled, letting his head droop on Steak’s shoulder. His openness was an obvious indicator he was drunk, as he would never act in such a way sober.

When Steak reached his apartment, he was worn, and had to shuffle to get the keys to unlock the door. He walked to the guest bedroom to put Red Wine down, making sure he was under the covers, before heading to his own room and stripping down to boxers to sleep. 

He crawled into bed to sleep, and was nearly out when he heard feet padding across the apartment. He hadn’t realized what the sound was until his bed creaked. 

“Steak?”

The Demon gasped, fully awake now and rolling over to face the Vampire now in his bed. 

“Red Wine? Go back to bed,” Steak said, heart hammering at what exactly Red Wine’s intentions might be. He leaned over, cupping Steak’s face between his chilled palms and kissing him. 

It wasn’t the best kiss, especially since they were both tired and drunk, but it felt right, like the natural conclusion for the night, and Steak sighed into it, tilting his head. 

“Ow!” Red Wine said, rubbing at his forehead where Steak’s horn had hit him because of the angle. 

Embarrassed, Steak huffed. 

“I told you to go to bed,” Steak said, averting his gaze, not that he could see much in the dark. Red Wine huffed, pulling up Steak covers and crawling under them. “What are you doing?”

“Sleeping here. Don’t try to act like we haven’t done this before,” Red Wine said, purposefully cuddling himself close to where Steak was before stopping. “Are you naked?” 

“No,” Steak responded, his pulse racing. 

“Oh,” Red Wine said, and if Steak was being honest, the Vampire sounded a little disappointed. “Well, good night.”

Steak wanted to laugh at him. 

As if he’d get any sleep in this position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PROGRESS. PROGRESS. 
> 
> Also it's now a requirement for all my fics that someone call Steak "Steaky". It is a rule now.


	25. Part II: Extra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The extra you've all been waiting for!! I love bringing in more familiar faces!
> 
> This one goes in between the first and second parts of chapter 9. Thank you Sazuka76 for pointing out the timing error! The extras are typically written way after I've already finished chapters, so I accidentally got this one a little mixed up!

With the Ryder Van Hopp situation being taken care of by Omurice, and Sanma Shioyaki and Wonton working with the Tartuffe situation, Steak had a little time to kill. 

He could feel his stress levels rising, and cigarettes weren’t going to cut it anymore. 

Steak found himself at his local gym, and coincidentally, Hamburger and Cola were there too. Seeing them in this environment made him remember what happened the last time they were all together, and the slight embarrassment he endured from Red Wine because of it. It was so fortunate for him that the two were together

With a strong arm, he put Cola in a head lock. He may be an Elemental Mage who worked at a gym, but he was a student and a musician first, and most of the exercise he got in was cardio, thusly, he couldn’t pull himself out of Steak’s hold. With his other arm he grabbed Hamburger’s hair by the ponytail

“Steak?! What gives man?” Hamburger asked, struggling. With enough force that it hurt but not enough force to seriously hurt them, he slammed their heads together. 

“You wanted me to believe Grindr was an exercise app?” 

Cola and Hamburger were cursing rubbing their heads at the point of collision, but when Steak spoke, with his arms crossed, Cola was the first one to laugh. 

“Oh shit, how many dudes DM’d you?” he guffawed. 

“Too many than I would’ve enjoyed,” Steak growled, not finding the situation very funny. 

Not that he was too terribly upset, but it wasn’t a funny prank. 

“I wonder how many dick pics he got,” Hamburger said, nudging Cola, and the white-haired Mage’s eyes went wide. 

“I went ham on his profile so probably a shit ton,” Cola added. 

“Hey!” Steak interrupted. 

“Aw, come on Steak, it’s not that bad. You can just delete it!” Cola said, patting Steak’s shoulder. 

It was true that he could just delete it, but Steak felt like he actually might be able to get some use out of it. 

“Whatever,” he scoffed, going to lift weights. Hamburger and Cola continued to chatter about the possibilities from Steak’s Grindr, before Steak just fished his phone from his pocket and handing it over so they could see the damage themselves. 

“This one seems like a nice guy!” Cola would shout, or Hamburger would snort at a picture, “there’s no way it’s actually _that_ big.”

Steak let them have their fun, feeling his irritation ebb away as he pushed himself with exercise. He didn’t stay long, knowing that he was needed at his base, and headed back to his apartment. 

Red Wine was already in his room, which Steak knew by the closed door, and he walked to his own room, feeling like he should scroll Grindr and potentially find someone else to hook up with, knowing that he’d need it eventually. 

Most of the profiles were just…bad, and Steak couldn’t help but grimace at many of them. 

It wasn’t until he saw a familiar face that he actually gasped, feeling a shock race through his veins. 

He’d never thought he’d actually be affected by the sight of Red Wine in a collar. 

“What the hell is a vers bottom?” Steak mumbled, scrolling through the pictures on his profile that got more and more erotic. He could feel his cheeks flush and telltale heat gathered in his lower regions. He had told Red Wine he wouldn’t snoop, but now there was a part of him that wished he had found this profile sooner. 

If Red Wine had found him, Steak was going to make it known he had found the Vampire.

Fiddling with his phone for a bit, he found where to send a direct message to Red Wine, and typed one out. 

_thats a lot of leather in your profile_

Pleased with himself, Steak locked his phone and plugged it into his charger, planning to get ready for bed. As he was lying down, he heard a horrified shriek from the other room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I hc that RW is a vers bottom. Fight me.


	26. Part II: Finale

The party had left many of the Vampire’s feeling less than stellar. Red Wine had dimly remembered crawling into Steak’s bed, but in lieu of screaming or throwing a fit, he got up calmly and snuck out, choosing to go to his own bedroom to sleep off his hangover. 

Toso, who had drunk the most, was surprisingly fine, and Gingerbread was the only one who was in bed miserable, despite only having one glass. Sweet Tofu watched her as well as watching as keeping with his other duties of watching his brother. Until at least Red Wine was feeling stellar, the monster task force would have to take direction from Milk.

The police had taken Ryder Van Hopp into custody, desperate to find a connection to the murders. Steak felt guilty for leading the police astray in his own desperation with his anonymous tips. Just like Red Wine had said, there were factors that didn’t add up. The large amounts of illegal drugs found at his labs was enough to put him away at least for questioning, and after doing tests, it was revealed that Adrill created fluid and pressure in the brain, which created the insane mood changes, but Salty Tofu had no changes in his brain. When Salty Tofu got sick, there wasn’t an expense spared trying to find a solution for his treatment. The Vampires were crestfallen when they had learned that Hopp medications were not a likely cause for Salty Tofu’s condition. 

"So that means we're back to square one?" Sweet Tofu had asked. Steak felt uncomfortable having to be the bearer of bad news, but as Red Wine was still slow to start, the job fell on the Demon. 

As expected, Sweet Tofu was the most upset. 

Just like Steak's lawyer had said, the marriage of Milk to Spaghetti was also postponed because of the arrest. Steak’s lawyer had let him know that it would only be postponed for as long as he was in jail, which meant the solution was only temporary. But at least it bought Steak more time to worry about other things. Milk had requested a long leave, having already been worried about the growing tension in the gang, and doubly worried about her father and her commute to work. Steak knew that her relationship with her father could be described as "strained" in the most forgiving of scenarios. She rarely talked to the man and any interactions with him were never positive, but that didn't mean she didn't feel a little pang of hurt that her father was in jail. Steak had worried she would blame him, but Milk only sighed, mentioning that her father had brought it all on himself.

Having other things to worry about, Red Wine and Steak didn’t mention the kiss.

It wasn’t a week after the arrest, and the city was consumed with a strange bloodlust, caught up in a whirlwind of passion, desiring Ryder Van Hopp’s justice. Steak had never seen the people of Hilena act so crazed, and the riots, which had been ongoing for nearly a month now, revved up with more fervor. Steak and Red Wine, who knew there was something going on spiritually with the murders since January that didn't add up, were eager to glean any information from Jax Perceval’s death. Maybe if they could find information fast enough, they could stop the riots from getting even more out of hand. In their small safe haven, there was a delicate peace and normalcy, but if anything outside got in, it would ruin everything.

Spaghetti, who normally made himself scarce around the base, began spending all of his time there, antagonizing all the people who worked for Steak and exerting a fictitious authority over them. 

Steak didn’t have time to deal with his half-brother, especially after getting a phone call from Wonton telling him he was ready for the séance with Tartuffe. 

“Milt, make sure you keep an eye on Spaghetti. I don’t like that he’s hanging around,” Steak said as he readied himself to leave. Red Wine was with him, of course, and despite having not been let in on the entire situation, he could feel the palpable tension from Spaghetti’s presence and could tell it wasn’t normal for him to be around. 

“I think he got into some trouble,” Milt mentioned, watching Spaghetti interact through the office window. “I think he’s hiding.”

It wasn’t the first time Spaghetti had hung around to avoid getting caught, but it was only ever for a couple days, so for him to stay a whole week, the Half-Demon’s welcome had been overstayed. It made Steak wary. What kind of trouble had he gotten into that he needed to lay low for a whole week?

But he didn’t have the time to think about it today. 

He needed to focus on the séance with Wonton and Sanma Shioyaki, the two Empaths having finally gotten the trick for speaking to dead animals. Steak and Red Wine rode over on Steak’s motorcycle, with only minimal complaining from the Vampire. Steak wondered if he would always feel the spark from the Vampire pressed against him.

The two of them were led in by Tortoise Jelly and offered tea. 

“No thank you. How has everything been?” Steak asked

Sanma Shioyaki looked a little haggard, but his eyes were alert. Standing behind him, looking antsy was Bonito Rice, and the Empath Mage took his hand to hold. 

“Hell, honestly,” Wonton answered, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t think I’ve ever expended so much magic for one job. I’m just glad Tortoise is here.”

Steak hadn’t known it was going to be such a tiring job. He’d have to pay them extra.

Tortoise Jelly went to their basement and brought back Tartuffe wrapped in a small body bag. After the séance they would have to give him a proper burial for his hard work in life and in death. The cats around Sanma Shioyaki's feet twitched their tails anxiously, but the Empath Mage only gave them a look.

Bonito Rice let go of Sanma Shioyaki's hand so that Wonton and Sanma Shioyaki could instead join hands in preparation for the séance. Tortoise Jelly laid the dog on the table, careful not to step on any of the cats near his feet. Steak and Red Wine sat down on opposite sides of the table and Bonito sat down beside Sanma Shioyaki. After placing the dog, Tortoise Jelly began lighting candles and incense and sat down beside Wonton, making the table full. They all joined hands, following the lead of the Empath Mages, as they tried to bring forth Tartuffe’s spirit. 

The feeling of Red Wine’s hand in his was strangely comforting, and it reminded Steak of their plane ride. 

Steak experienced the same phenomenon from when he visited the scene of Jax Perceval's murder with Wonton and Tortoise Jelly. Gravity thickened, and the sound of the air conditioning disappeared as the candles went out. Steak felt like he was slowly choking under the weight, and the pressure that built up was incredibly uncomfortable. From the dead body on the table, a light shadow rose up in wisps, and created the shape of a dog in gray. Steak felt his heart sink like a stone, a slight chill going through him at the sight of the spirit. 

“Tartuffe,” Sanma called, and the dog spirit turned to him. 

_You are not my master._

The words had no voice, and simply appeared in their heads. 

“Jax Perceval has passed, but his soul has been stolen,” Wonton explained. “we needed to know if you saw any details of his murder.”

The dog stayed still, before memories began flashing before all of their eyes. Like a camera reel flicking through scenes on fast forward, they watched the life of Tartuffe through his eyes. Towards the end, the memories slowed down, until they saw Salty Tofu. Tartuffe growled at the Vampire, but in reality, was directing the angry noise towards a figure above Salty Tofu. Hovering above the Vampire was a large spirit of a woman with wings. Salty Tofu began chanting Latin before pouncing on Jax, causing Tartuffe to yelp and run off, his leash being dropped upon Jax's impact with the ground. Everyone at the table watched the brutal carnage of Salty Tofu ripping open Jax's neck with his teeth, staining everything around them with blood. The wispy figure above Salty Tofu stayed until Jax was murdered, before it dissipated into the air. 

Upon its disappearance, sanity seemed to return to Salty Tofu and he panicked, looking around and locking eyes with Tartuffe. That was when the dog took off. 

The following memories were inconsequential and short, and everyone took a giant breath as the spirit of Tartuffe disappeared. Their reality turned back to normal, with lit candles and blowing air conditioning that hummed softly in the background. Tortoise Jelly immediately opened the notebook he had brought, drawing the figure frantically. 

“What was that? A ghost?” Red Wine asked, and before anyone else could respond, Steak cut in. 

“It was an Angel,” Steak breathed. “A fucking Angel.”


	27. Part III: Chapter One

Steak had only heard of Angels as myths. They existed as supernatural creatures, but they were so rare, working for the Divine that no one knew of them. When people began worshipping the Divine, calling the entity God, is when Angels became more than regular supernatural beings, but sometimes there would be stories of people born who were part Angel. They all had some divine or radiant power, but true Angels were rarely seen except for to enact the God of the Church’s will, so to see the mist of an Angel floating above Salty Tofu made entire sense as to why Demons were being targeted. It was said that animals could pick up on extra phenomenon happening in reality, and it turned out to be true. The night of Jax Perceval’s death, Tartuffe had seen an Angel controlling Salty Tofu. 

Of course, the next logical place to take this evidence was to Pretzel. 

Immediately after the séance, Red Wine and Steak walked the dark corridor to the basement entrance of the Church and knocked. It took a while to get a response, but after some persistence, the door opened. 

“What a pleasure,” Pretzel said sarcastically, moving aside to let the two in. “A Demon and a Vampire, I wonder how I should handle this situation.”

“It’s Angels, Pretzel,” Red Wine said, not paying attention to the other man’s words. "Angels are behind the murders." 

Pretzel's face was wrought with surprise. 

“There’s no way Angels are behind this,” the priestly man said, walking towards his own table that was covered in notes. 

“During a séance with one of the victim’s dogs, we saw this figure floating above the suspect,” Steak said, pulling out the drawing Tortoise Jelly had rendered perfectly. 

Pretzel looked at it and mumbled a prayer. 

“This looks like the Angel Canele,” Pretzel said, going to one of the many bookshelves lining the walls and pulled off a book. Flipping through it, he opened it to a page that showed a figure that looked virtually the same as the one they saw in Tartuffe’s memory. 

“This is her,” Red Wine said, looking at the picture. “She’s been controlling Salty Tofu.”

“Then it’s possible the sickness he contracted was probably part of a purification process in order for Canele to inhabit the host,” Pretzel explained. “Some prophets have said that the Pestilence of the Apocalypse could take such form, and that the souls of the damned would be sent to the Underworld and lost whereas the souls of the pure and righteous survive,” Pretzel exclaimed, handing his book to Steak and looking for another. 

“Salty Tofu pure and righteous? Ha,” Red Wine said dryly. 

Pretzel pulled out some more books for reference. “In the event of purification, he could be.”

“So if this is a weird heavenly Pestilence, is there any connection with the victim’s souls being taken?” Steak asked. Pretzel hummed in contemplation. 

“Well, if the Canele is using Salty Tofu as a host and is enacting judgement, the souls have either been collected or damned.”

“So you mean, the souls could disappear?” Red Wine asked. 

“Yes. They would no longer be able to be reached.” 

Everything was starting to make sense. Salty Tofu’s sickness being a purifying ritual would explain why the onset and offset were so sudden, and why it wasn’t transmitted to anyone else. And if she was using Salty Tofu to murder who the Angels and God considered unholy and impure, their souls would be damned and unable to be communicated with. It explained why Wonton couldn’t do his job. 

All the gears were clicking into place. 

“Okay, so Canele inhabited Salty Tofu after purifying him with an apocalyptic plague in order to judge people? It doesn’t really make sense. And what about the monsters we’ve been finding? Why would the Angels resort to purifying a Vampire for judgment?” Red Wine mused. Pretzel ran a hand through his hair. 

“I don’t know. You might have to talk to an Angel to find out.”

“Where are we going to talk with an Angel?” Steak asked incredulously. Most people believed them to be myths since they were never seen. 

“There have been some whisperings among other churches that the Angel Cloud Tea has been active, I will locate the details and send them to you,” Pretzel said. 

While all this information was good and well, it didn’t answer the one reason that Steak and Red Wine were trying to solve this in the first place. 

“How do we stop Canele from possessing Salty Tofu?”

Pretzel sighed at Red Wine’s question. 

“I don’t know. I have some vague ideas but there’s no guarantee they will work. You might be able to find more information if you can talk with Cloud Tea,” he responded. 

They asked a few more questions, to no avail, but when the two left, at least they had some more answers and a clearer reason as to why everything was happening. That night, they went back to the base feeling exhausted. 

“Is everything alright?”

Toso’s question when they came into the base was meant as comfort, but Red Wine just sighed, and Steak looked irritated. 

“It seems as if the Angel Canele has been possessing Salty Tofu to help eradicate Demons,” Red Wine responded. 

“Can we perform an exorcism or something?” she asked. The word “exorcism” struck a nerve with Steak. Historically, Demons had typically been exorcised by the Church in an attempt to separate the Demonic blood from the human blood. They never worked and usually ended in the Demon’s death. 

“That’s not how it works, but Pretzel is going to help us find some way to figure out how we need to save Salty Tofu,” Red Wine said, lightly steering the conversation another way, sensing Steak’s discomfort. “But at least we currently know what Salty Tofu’s condition is.” 

“You should tell Sweet Tofu,” Steak suggested. Sweet Tofu had been tearing himself up about his brother, and knowing that there wasn’t anything wrong with him because of Sweet Tofu’s oversight would probably put his mind at ease. Especially with Gingerbread’s extended hangover that had merged into a sickness similar to Red Wine’s, Sweet Tofu had been overworked and overwhelmed. Because of this, he had defaulted the monster task force to Red Wine.

Red Wine left to go tell the news, and when he and Toso walked downstairs, Spaghetti walked into his office, closing the door behind him. 

“Steak, I need another 5 million,” he said, voice austere and serious. Steak had learned long ago not to be intimidated by his speech, despite knowing how dangerous Spaghetti was. 

“For what?” Steak asked, narrowing his eyes. 

“Does that matter?”

“With you, yes,” Steak snapped. “Don’t think I’m not suspicious of you. It’s not a coincidence that you started hiding out here after Milk’s dad was arrested. What are you up to?”  
Spaghetti smiled wickedly. 

“That’s for me to know and for you to keep your nose out of,” he said threateningly. 

Steak crossed his arms. “Why would I give you money when I know you’re doing shady shit?”

“We’re a gang, Steak! Shady shit is what we do!” Spaghetti snipped. “Your weak ways are ruining everything here that your poor excuse of a father managed to scramble together.”  
At the insult to his father, Steak’s flames poured from his body. 

“Get out of my office before I kill you,” Steak growled. 

“As if you could,” Spaghetti sneered, “but I don’t feel like dealing with you right now.” He turned to walk out of Steak’s office. 

Full of rage, Steak walked outside in the back of his base and screamed until his voice was raw, releasing the pent up flames inside of him and leaving burn marks on the concrete outside. Even Red Wine didn’t get under his skin that much. Steak felt like his time was running up, and he didn’t have enough time to devote to investigating all the things he needed to focus on. Inside of him, his instinct told him something horrible was happening, and in the distance he could hear the shouts of another riot and gunshots. 

His territory was falling apart and there was little he could do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of these days, Steak is going to burn down his base I swear.


	28. Part III: Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: there's a reference to child death in this chapter

With Red Wine staying at his apartment, both him and Steak heard the news nearly simultaneously.

There was another murder.

“How could this have happened? Salty Tofu was locked up!” Steak growled towards Red Wine as he stalked into his office. 

“He was. It must have been someone else.” 

As much as Steak hated deflection, he also knew Red Wine was right. The Demon pulled out his cell and dialed a much needed number. It was for times like this that he kept his brother around, despite his temper and destructive habits.

“What a surprise, a call from Steak.”

“Spaghetti. I need any details you can get your hands on about the murder this morning,” he responded, offering no greeting.

 _“Do you have the money I asked for a week ago?”_ Spaghetti asked lowly, and Steak growled. Red Wine, who tried to seem uninterested, turned his head, his long ears flicking curiously.

“You can forget that request.”

_“They you can forget getting any info from me. Bye!”_

The line beeped to notify it disconnected before Steak could get in a word edgewise.

Red Wine furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before his phone rang. It was Chief Valencia. Since being put in charge of looking for the details from the murders, they hadn’t had much contact with the police. Nevertheless, he wasn’t surprised to receive the call.

“Hey, Chief.”

 _“Is Red Wine with you?”_

“Yeah.”

_“Put me on speaker”_

Steak did as requested. 

_“Can you hear me?”_

Both Red Wine and Steak answered affirmatively.

_“So I’m guessing you’ve seen about the 3 murders. They’re mostly like the last except for the cause of death isn’t exsanguination, it’s bludgeoning.”_

“Bludgeoning?” Red Wine asked.

 _“Yes, and they are particularly gruesome as well,”_ Chief Valencia explained. _“I’ll send you pictures but there was much more violence than was necessary to kill these folks.”_

Steak felt sick to his stomach. More people were dead because of his inability to protect them and his inability to wrap up this case, despite the headway they made. 

“What can you tell me about the victims?” 

_“The bodies were identified as a couple named David and Melissa Iverson, and their 3 year old daughter Rika. They had a son, but he wasn’t discovered anywhere, so we’ve put out a missing child case on him.”_

After the Chief of Police told him all he could about the victims, letting him know he would be sending over all the information they currently had, their call ended and a solemn mood fell over Steak and Red Wine both. For a few moments, neither talked as they tried to take in the situation. Not knowing who the murderer was, he would probably need to employ Wonton again. 

“Steak?” a soft voice from the door called. The Demon looked up to see Milk. “There’s someone here to meet you.”

Steak huffed and stood. Without being told to, Red Wine followed him out. 

In the main lobby of their base, a young boy was sitting with his head down. His hair was a peculiar shade, that looked nearly green, and when Steak approached, he lifted equally as green eyes. 

“Why did you bring me a child?” Steak asked, looking down at the boy. 

“He says his family was the victims of last night’s murder.”

Red Wine knelt down to be below eye level to the child. 

“Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked, with a surprising gentleness that Steak had rarely heard from him. He thought that kind of tenderness was reserved to Cold Rice Shrimp and Rice, but it seemed that Red Wine was just strangely good with children. It didn’t seem to fit with this image of the Vampire’s uppity, classist attitude.

The boy in question shook his head. 

“What’s your name?” Steak asked. 

“E-evan….sir,” he said in a meek tone. Red Wine gave Steak a hard look for scaring the child. 

“Evan, were you at home last night?” Milk asked softly. 

“No, I was with a friend.”

The one question made tears prick at Evan’s eyes, and he clutched the fabric of his shorts. It was kind of amazing how fate had saved this child.

“Why didn’t you go straight to the police, Evan?” Red Wine asked. 

Evan fiddled with his fingers. “I didn’t want to cause any more problems like last time the police made an announcement,” he said, referring to the riots. 

“Let’s feed him and give him a room for now. We’ll let the police know he’s here and look up his next of kin,” Steak decided, exasperated, before turning to go back to his office.

“I’m sorry, that big guy must be scary, especially with those horns,” Red Wine consoled. 

“No, it’s okay, m-my dad had horns too.”

Steak stopped in his tracks and whipped around. 

“Did you say your dad had horns? He was a Demon?” 

Steak’s overbearing presence frightened the child, but he nodded weakly. Steak rushed to his office, where all the information on the murders was available to him. He grabbed each victim’s file, and began researching into their genealogy. He didn’t realize he hadn’t looked into the victims’ history until now. 

“Demon……..Demon………….Demon,” Steak muttered as he hit result after result. 

“What the hell are you doing? You scared that kid. Who knows-“

Steak shushed Red Wine, and poured over his information more. The Vampire was obviously huffy, but walked over and began to look at what Steak was laying out. 

“All of the victims have demonic blood?” 

“I’m still checking Jax Perceval, but so far yes, and I’ve been thinking the murders have been getting closer too,” Steak mentioned, scanning his office for a map before pulling out an Atlas he was gifted by a removed family member. In it was a map of the city and Steak took a pen and marked an “x” where all the murders occurred. Looking at it on paper, it was clear to see that they were coming closer and closer to the center of the Demon territory. Right for the base. 

“They’re targeting Demons.” 

It seemed so obvious, and Steak didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. The murders were in his territory, and they knew now that an Angel was behind this. Were they trying to eradicate Demons for good?

But it would be nearly impossible for this level of coordination to be taken by such mindless creatures like Salty Tofu when he was possessed. 

“Do you think that Canele has been intentionally trying to kill Demons this whole time?” Red Wine asked. 

Sweet Tofu ran into the office, flustered. 

“Have any of you seen Gingerbread?” 

Considering Gingerbread was still on bed rest due to her drinking, she should’ve been in her room. 

“Is she not in her room?” 

Toso, who looked a little worse for wear but was fully functioning, also came into Steak’s office. 

“Her bed was empty and I haven’t been able to find her anywhere in the base.”

Red Wine and Steak shared a look, and hoped against all hope that the thought that was going through their minds wasn’t true. 

Through the riots, it was difficult to navigate the streets, but they needed to take a car. Roads were closed due to people blocking the way, and as they drove at a snail’s pace, a Molotov cocktail flew over the car, crashing through a recently abandoned store window and burning lightly. 

“It’s like Hell on Earth,” Steak mumbled, lighting a cigarette and blowing the smoke out the window.

They found Gingerbread near their old house, hiding and covered with blood. Because it was known that the Vampires had left, it wasn’t the site for attacks anymore, but their beautiful home had been graffitied and destroyed, window broken and items stolen. 

“Gingerbread!” Red Wine yelled, jumping out of the car when he saw her figure. He caught up to her, noticing she was covered in blood. How she made it to their house without being attacked was beyond Red Wine.

“I killed her,” she muttered, seemingly not herself. “Louise, I killed her.”

Red Wine sucked in a harsh breath through his nose. 

“Gingerbread, you didn’t kill Louise. Let’s get you a bath. Do you remember our spa treatments? Do you know who I am?” 

“Silas?”

Steak walked closer to them and Gingerbread yelled. 

“Demon,” she hissed, her yellow eyes narrowing. Red Wine had to hold her frenzied self back. "In hac die expiatio erit vestri atque mundatio-"

“Steak, get back,” Red Wine said in warning, and the Demon took a step back. Gingerbread looked like she was struggling to control herself. 

“It’s the Angel,” Steak said, noticing the dead look in Gingerbread’s eyes. 

Red Wine, not knowing if it was the best idea, hit the pressure point on her neck and knocked her out. Gingerbread’s small but toned body slumped in his arms, and he hoisted her over his shoulder, running into the house. 

“Where are you going?” Steak asked from the front lawn. 

“I’m going to get some cuffs.”

Steak stayed put, keeping lookout and waiting until Red Wine came back. 

Now they had two murderers on their hands because of the will of the Angels, and they had to figure out how to not only contain them, but contain them within a Demon base, where they would be inclined to kill everyone in sight. Steak just wanted to know why the change had happened now, and what caused it. Gingerbread hadn’t contracted a sickness, so how did her body become host to an Angel?

Before Steak could puzzle over it and confuse himself too much, Red Wine came back with Gingerbread’s hands and feet locked together. 

“Do I want to know where you got those?” Steak asked, getting back into the car as Red Wine put Gingerbread in the back seat. 

“Some things are better left unsaid.”

The drive back to the base was uneventful, and Red Wine picked up Gingerbread’s body from the back seat. 

“You found Mommy!” Cold Rice Shrimp cheered when Red Wine brought her downstairs, but her round face fell when she saw her covered in blood. “What happened?”

“Gingerbread is sick,” Red Wine announced to everyone downstairs. 

“Like Salty Tofu?” Toso asked, and Red Wine nodded solemnly. 

“What did we ever do to deserve this,” Sweet Tofu sighed, holding his head in his hands. 

They put Gingerbread in her room, using the tool kit to bolt down her bed and hook her shackles through it, when she was more coherent they could change it to be similar to Salty Tofu’s setup. Red Wine looked down at Gingerbread, looking utterly heartbroken. Steak felt like he needed to do something, and so he put his hand on Red Wine’s shoulder.

“We’ll figure out how to cure them , don’t worry,” Steak said, the gravity of his words weighing upon Red Wine. 

“Thanks,” the Vampire said. “I think I want to stay with her until she wakes up.” 

Steak nodded, completely understanding, before heading back upstairs to try and puzzle through a solution on his end. It was like there was one tiny piece of information missing, and that having it could make all the gears click into place and they could do something about fixing what was happening in Hilena. Once they had all the facts, and found a solution, they could reveal the truth to the masses, and they might be less likely to riot. 

He gave Chief Valencia a call to update him on the situation, and that they were waiting on one source before they found the cure to stopping the murders. 

“That’s a nice sentiment, but I still have 7 people killed. It’s not like you can bring them back from the dead.”

Steak knew that Chief Valencia was speaking truth, but he also didn’t know if Salty Tofu and Gingerbread could even be blamed considering the nature of the case. 

Irritated, he took out a cigarette, deciding to smoke in his office, which he rarely ever did. The nicotine helped relax his nerves and he threw the cigarette butt away when he was done. He began sorting through the information and updated the file he had for the case. 

“The Vampires,” a smooth voice started, startling Steak as he didn’t hear anyone enter. Caviar stood in front of his desk, draped in layers of black and grey and a large scarf bundling his mouth despite the hot weather. It had been a long time since Steak saw the Psychic Mage. "If you flood them with the most impure, the Angels will leave them.”

Caviar had the ability to see multiple potential timelines, past, present, and future. Despite never sharing details of the case with him, he already knew how to help Steak in his predicament. 

“Normally you don’t tell me things that would affect the outcome of a future,” Steak huffed. 

“If I do not assist, there will be no future.”

The revelation shocked Steak. It was just like Pretzel had said. “Like an apocalypse?”

Caviar shook his head. 

“It’s inconsequential now; that future has already become less likely by me helping you,” Caviar said. 

Steak wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

“Well, what is ‘the most impure’? Can you tell me that much?” Steak asked. Caviar turned to leave. 

“Ask your friend at the Church.”

Despite knowing he was a Psychic Mage, it was still creepy that Caviar would just _know_ things without being told them. Because he and Milt had a strange friends with benefits arrangement, Steak was able to capitalize on Caviar’s abilities on occasion, without having to book him or wait for a hearing. 

Taking the Psychic Mage’s advice, he called the Church. When he asked for Pretzel, the call was immediately transferred, and a familiar voice was on the line. 

_”Hello?”_

“Pretzel? It’s Steak.”


	29. Part III: Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally an extra, but it fits logically with the story. This chapter is a flashback!
> 
> tw: this chapter contains hanging and the death of a child

“You must stop with your day drinking,” a blonde woman huffed, sitting prettily at the large dining hall table as she dabbed daintily at her mouth. It was a rare occasion where she could eat breakfast so early with her fiancé, but as per usual, he had a glass of wine in hand in addition to the breads and cheese on his plate. 

“If wine be my murderer, so be it,” the man replied. 

They were known to their village as Lord Silas and Lady Francesca. The two were to be married soon, and the elite and wealthy families that were planning to be joined were thrilled. It was the talk of all of the rural villages, considering the fame and renown both engaged parties had garnered. 

Lord Silas was known far and wide for his swordsmanship. There wasn’t a man around who could best him when Silas brandished his rapier, and he moved through the ranks quickly from being a young squire. He was the third oldest brother, and only third in line for succession, which meant he could devote himself to leisurely pursuits; however, because of that he had turned a bit spoiled. 

Lady Francesca was the only woman who could go toe-to-toe with Silas. At a young age, she distinguished herself fighting with the young Lord Silas. Where normal children would’ve been executed for attempting to harm a noble son, she was allowed to learn swordsmanship beside him and became a wonderful guard. Her appalling upper body strength gave her great power with a longsword and shield, and her small stature and agility made her a difficult target to hit. 

The two of them made a power couple, and the masses all around were enamored with the idea of their marriage. The couple themselves couldn’t care less. Silas hadn't even had the faintest interest in girls, and Francesca was the only person who knew that it was because he took a liking to men instead.

“Please stop with the dramatics. Leave it for the troupes,” Francesca responded, picking at her breakfast. 

While she knew that no one could best Silas in a fight, she worried that he would be his own undoing. Every day he would drink multiple glasses of wine, seeming to be dysfunctional without it, and while Francesca may have not loved the Lord, she had a deep fondness for her childhood friend. 

But the days passed with little excitement. And with each passing day, Francesca grew more and more concerned about Silas’ habits. 

In order to promote love and happiness in a newly engaged couple, their families had decided to limit the missions they could take, which meant that they had nothing to do in Silas’ castle than talk with each other. 

Louise, the youngest sister of Silas’, and the girl Francesca had to protect, came running into the great hall. Despite her history, Louise was a cheerful girl, and Francesca took stock of the new bruises on her arms. 

When her employer and the father of her fiancé was the biggest threat to the person she was supposed to protect, there was little room for Francesca to say anything. 

The best she could do was to keep Louise as far away from Silas’ father for as long as possible, which proved difficult when she was all but forced to stay in the castle. 

“Lady Francesca, come look at the flowers the servants planted for the wedding!” she chirped. Francesca smiled warmly, turning away from her food and standing. Louise’s ash brown hair fell down to her back, and large, inquisitive blue eyes still had so much light and joy to bring to the cruel world that tortured her. Francesca wondered if one day, she could learn to love the world as much as the naïve girl did. 

“Alright, give me a moment,” she responded. “Silas, will you join us?”

Silas, who had barely touched his food, stood at the invitation. 

“I suppose I shall.”

The three of them left the great hall in the direction of the outside courtyard.

“Can I have a gingerbread cookie?” Louise asked as they walked past the kitchens. Gingerbread was her favorite, and Francesca smiled. 

“Maybe later.”

In the courtyard, there was a large tree in bright green hue for the summer, and around the courtyard, was an ocean of red lillies. 

“Amora said lilies represent humidity and devotion!” Louise said, crouching down to look at them at eye level. 

“Humility,” Silas corrected, watching his youngest sister fondly. Francesca didn’t know if he knew about the horrific things their father did to her, but it was a shelved conversation for a later date. 

While Francesca knew that lilies were popular symbols for marriage, she also couldn’t help but feel an ominous omen from their other meaning: 

Helping departed souls find peace.

\-----x~*~x-----

“Hurry!” Francesca called to the coachman, frantically looking down at her fiancé. He was pale, and the shaking and convulsions his body experienced were only made worse by the bumpy path. On the night before their wedding, this was the last place Gingerbread expected herself to be.

Silas was dying. The alcohol was finally killing him. 

Francesca had known no cure for the curse of alcohol, and she turned to the only option she could think of in the crisis to save Silas. She was visiting the Vampire who lived deep in the forgotten woods. 

They halted to a stop and Francesca dragged her barely conscious fiancé to the door. 

“Wait here,” she ordered to the coach man, and banged on the heavy wooden door. 

Out stepped a feeble looking woman, but despite her age, her eyes were bright and she assessed the situation quickly. 

“What would you be here on my doorstep for at this hour?” the Vampire rasped, giving an ugly smile. 

“Please, you must save him, he’s dying!” Francesca wailed, holding a limp Silas in her arms. 

“You know not what you ask,” the Vampire said. “You would curse this man for the remainder of eternity? Why not let him die? Because he’s your friend? Your lover? Do you not think people come to me in all sorts of states asking me to inflict upon them this curse.”

Francesca hardened her resolve and glared intimidatingly at the woman, even though inside, her heart was broken over the possibility of watching Silas die in her arms. 

“Please, he needs help, and I can’t do anything for him.”

The Vampire stared down at her hard before stepping aside. 

“Bring him in.”

Inside of the hut was not what Francesca expected. It looked no different from a regular woman’s house. 

“He is human correct? If he if even a quarter Demon, there is nothing I can do for him.”

“Yes,” Francesca breathed, and when Silas groaned, she flitted to his side.

“When I turn him, he will need to feed immediately. Are you ready to be that sacrifice to him?” the Vampire asked, shedding her large cloak and rolling up her sleeves. Francesca stared up at the woman before looking again at Silas’ pale and sweaty face. 

“No.”

The Vampire was about to say something before Francesca interrupted. 

“Turn me too. We will use the coach man outside as our sacrifice.”

“Very well,” the woman said, not expecting that answer. She made two holes in her skin with her elongated fangs before holding her bleeding arm to Silas’ mouth. 

“Drink, Silas. If there was anything you were ever good at, it was drinking,” Francesca said, and when the first ounces of blood trickled down his throat, the young Lord began convulsing. 

“What’s happening?” Francesca asked, panicked. 

“It is all normal. Quickly, you do the same before he feeds from you.”

Francesca wasted no time taking the Vampire’s arm and feeding from her. 

Once she did, her vision went black.

\-----x~*~x-----

When Francesca awoke, she was outside, and she felt incredibly cold.

She took a gaping breath and the scent of something delicious wafted into her nose, and she realized her intense hunger. 

No. Hunger wasn’t the appropriate word. She was thirsty. 

The sinking feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach when she realized she had been made into a Vampire was nothing in comparison to the elation she felt when she heard Silas groan. 

“Silas!” she called, the scratch in her throat nearly palpable. 

The man in question sat up and Francesca gasped. 

He was covered in blood. 

When Silas looked at her, he also stared in shock. 

“You’re covered in blood!” Silas exclaimed. 

“I could say the same for you!” Francesca responded, but around them, they couldn’t see a body. 

As they came to their senses, they realized they needed to wash up, and spent fifteen minutes finding the nearest river. In the water’s reflection, Silas saw himself for the first time and screamed. 

“What’s happened to me?!” he shouted, feeling the point to his ears that stuck out behind his long, inky locks. In his mouth his fangs were sharp, and his skin was as pale as cream, and when he stared at the reflection, his eyes had been changed to a deep red.

Francesca looked much the same, with golden eyes that matched her golden hair instead of the red that Silas had. 

“You were dying, and so I had you changed to save your life.”

“Save my life?! How am I supposed to live like this? We’ll immediately be killed if people notice us!”

“It was the only option I had! I wasn’t going to let you die because you couldn’t stop yourself from drinking,” Francesca shouted. 

The two stared at each other for a while, and Silas sighed. 

“We should find out how to get back home. How long have we been gone?”

Francesca took the moment to look around, and where the trees had been vibrant green for the summer, they had now changed into various hues of orange and red. 

“A few months?”

“Months?! What have we been doing all this time?” Silas yelled. Francesca tried to draw upon her memories, but there was nothing she could glean from them, everything seeming like a hazy mess. The only thing she could remember was drinking from the old Vampire. 

“I don’t know,” Francesca said, “but I agree we should go back home.”

Their journey was long and arduous without horses. While they realized now their bodies were stronger than before, the thirst they experienced was insatiable, and they turned to feeding off caught animals in order to satisfy the need for blood. 

It took nearly a week before they stopped throwing up at how disgusted they were.

When they returned to their village, it was eerily quiet. At their castle, they walked through the front doors. 

“Mother? Father?” Silas asked, feeling like something was wrong with the situation. The castle had never been so silent. 

Through the corridors and the rooms, they could find no one, until they came to the courtyard. 

Hanging from trees was Silas’ entire family, and written in blood on the stone in front of their bodies was the word “Vampires”. 

Francesca screamed. 

“Louise!” she sobbed, seeing the small body hanging lifelessly from the large tree. She went over to her, trying to untie the rope from her rotting neck. The smell was putrid, and with their heightened senses, Silas was surprised she wasn’t vomiting. 

“Francesca,” he said tenderly, his own heart shattered as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing we can do for them now.”

“I’ve killed her. If I hadn’t left that night they wouldn’t have been murdered,” Francesca sobbed, falling to her knees. 

“No. Other monsters did this,” Red Wine said, his grip on her shoulders tightening. “We need to leave here, or face a similar fate."

Francesca cried for a long time afterwards, and when she consoled herself, she was resolved. It would make sense as to why the village was so quiet. They hadn't been that far from the village, and if they had been feeding from its residents for the first few months of Vampirism, their hatred made sense.

“We need aliases,” she said. Silas, who’d been rummaging for a drink of wine, turned to her. 

“Well, I could think of no other name than ‘Red Wine’ for myself,” he said, holding up an emptied bottle.

_”Can I have some gingerbread cookies?”_

Francesca didn’t know why she thought of that moment. Maybe it was because of the lilies that had predicted the tragedy here, but with it, Francesca made up her mind. 

“From now on, I’m Gingerbread.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now you have some backstory on Gingerbread and Red Wine for this AU! This is what Gingerbread had been talking about in the last chapter, so it made sense to put this here.


	30. Part III: Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 30 chapters folks, this is kinda amazing. Thanks for sticking by for this long!
> 
> tw: there's another brief and general mention of child death in this chapter.

_”Weeks after the start of the riots, and the public wants to know, where is our murderer? So far, 7 people have been killed since January, and the people want answers. There have been reports of casualties around Hilena due to increased tension, and 12 people have been hospitalized. Store closures are as follows:-“_

Steak turned off the news. 

The police had come to pick up Evan after they called, taking him to the station before he could get sent to a proper foster home. Sending him to be with strangers sat poorly with Steak, especially knowing that he was a half-demon and was in danger if the Angels decided to possess anyone else. 

“Steak. Just call him or something. Evan gave you his number,” Red Wine sighed, watching Steak run himself down with worry. He was currently trying to put into a graph the data they had collected from the monster task force, and Steak’s fretting was distracting him. The Demon glared at him but sent Evan a text message. 

_To: Evan_

_how is everything? do you need any help?_

Steak didn’t expect to get any answer, but not even 30 seconds later, did he receive a response. 

_From: Evan_

_its ok_

_the ppl are having problems finding any relatives tho =^=_

Steak’s eyebrows furrowed, trying to understand what the symbols meant. 

_To: Evan_

_relatives to place you with for fostering?_

_From: Evan_

_yeah im staying with some nice family right now but i think theyre scared of me_

Steak oddly felt empathy for Evan, and decided to act as he always did – impulsively. 

_To: Evan_

_if you can get permission or find time ill take you to lunch_

It wasn’t as if Steak thought he could fix anything, and once he sent the message, he realized how weird it was to offer a complete stranger lunch, and a child at that. Maybe it was that Salad was a child and had just lost his family, a feeling Steak could understand well, having lost his parents at a young age. A lot of the reason he felt so inclined to help was because he also took personal responsibility for not being able to stop Gingerbread from murdering his family. 

_From: Evan_

_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_Ok >u<_

Steak was still confused about the symbols, and he sighed. 

“Did you get in touch with him?” Red Wine asked, not looking up from his computer. 

“Yeah. I might take him to lunch.”

“That sounds like a great idea. Go have a lunch with Half-Demon child whose family got murdered by your friend a few days ago,” Red Wine said sarcastically. 

“I’m not telling him about that,” Steak grumbled, standing up from his chair. His office currently looked like a tornado had come through, and there was a giant white board connecting all the facts they had. 

Caviar had told him in order to cure Gingerbread and Salty Tofu, he would need to flood them with the “most impure”. When he asked Pretzel, the priestly man gave no help, saying that could refer to anything but he’d look into anything. 

“I guess it just means fill them with impurities? Like sin?” Red Wine mused when he saw Steak pondering over the board. 

“It’s not like we can just take Gingerbread and Salty Tofu gambling and drinking,” Steak scoffed. Red Wine shrugged and went back to interpreting data. 

“What have you found about the monsters?” Steak asked, sitting beside Red Wine to look at his computer. 

For the next hour they discussed different anomalies they’d found in the monsters. It was also worth noting that there seemed to be more of these monsters and that they were found attacking humans. It wouldn’t be long until there might be another issue altogether. 

Steak’s phone buzzed. 

_From: Evan_

_the lady watching me says i can go!! but im riding the bus, i should be there soon!_

Steak typed “ok” to him and before he put his phone up, it rang.

It was from Pretzel. 

“Do you have any information for me?” Steak asked in lieu of a greeting.

_“I haven’t been able to find anything about ‘flooding them with the most impure’ but I have information on how to possibly locate an Angel. I’ve found the whereabouts of the Angel Cloud Tea. She has taken particular liking to a Beast and can be found in Light Kingdom._

“That’s good news,” Steak responded. 

_“However, an Angel would be unlikely to talk to an unfamiliar person, and nonetheless a Demon. Luckily for you, there exists an Empath Mage who has some connections to Cloud Tea and may be able to help you,”_ Pretzel explained. 

Steak, who was only interested in what Pretzel had to say because it would help the case, hummed. 

“Who is it?” the Demon asked. 

_“He goes by Wonton.”_

After weeks of nothing but bad luck, it was a lucky break for them that they already knew and had a relationship with Wonton. 

“Thanks,” Steak said, hanging up and immediately giving their favorite Empath Mage a call. Red Wine huffed at being left out of the loop, but Steak ignored him.

 _”What could you possibly want me for now?”_ Wonton groaned when he answered. 

“What can you tell me about Cloud Tea?”

\-----x~*~x-----

After conversing with Wonton about the Angel and where she could be found, Steak hung up to keep his lunch plans with Evan. They made plans to meet up in person later, and plan the appropriate trip to visit Cloud Tea in Light Kingdom.

Steak walked outside to go to the nearest bus stop to wait for Evan. He only had to wait for about 5 minutes before the Half-Demon came by. 

“Is this the friend you’re waiting for?” the bus driver asked as Evan hopped out. 

“He is!” he said happily, waving goodbye to the bus driver. 

“Okay, stay safe kid,” she said before driving off. 

“You made friends with the bus driver?” Steak asked, sticking his hands in his pockets. He was wearing nice slacks with a button down and a sports jacket. Underneath his jacket he was carrying, not taking any chances with how dangerous the streets had been recently. 

“Yeah! She was making sure I went to the right place. Her name is Ms. Ora,” Evan explained, following Steak as the Demon began walking. 

“That’s nice,” Steak said, not really good at small talk, but it was okay, because while he got the impression Evan was a little shy, he was a chatterbox to Steak, and despite the horrible things that happened with his family he only seemed mildly affected by them. It was strange.

They walked the few blocks it took to get to Satan’s Coffee House, and walking in, Steak felt a slight stirring in is arm before relaxing. 

“Welcome to Satan’s!” the owner from earlier, Tiramisu said cheerily. Inside the coffee shop, the interior had changed, looking much more comforting and homely than he remembered, and Steak swore he could smell the faint scent of roses. 

“Hello!” Evan said happily as they walked in. It seemed like it was a good idea to visit. 

“I remember you from last time. Steak, right?” Tiramisu said. “Are you keeping safe in all this craziness?” 

“I’ve been fine,” Steak shrugged, walking towards the front counter. There was a man at the register, leaning lazily watching them interact. 

“Welcome to Satan’s, how can I help you?” he asked, and Steak felt a shock go up his spine. There was something dangerously attractive about this man. Tiramisu came to stand behind the counter as well, leaning to mumbled something in the barista’s ear. 

“Is everything alright?” Steak asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Evan was engrossed with looking at the menu.

“Oh, it’s perfect, Mr. Steak,” the man at the register said, standing tall. “Do you know what you want?”

“Chocolate, stop flirting with the customers,” another man said as he brought a drink to the counter. He had been working behind the counter a ways off to make an order. “Caramel macchiato for Tristan,” he called. 

Chocolate rolled his blue eyes. 

“Don’t worry about Coffee. He just gets jealous,” Chocolate said, and Steak worried he was witnessing something intimate. 

“I want a pumpkin muffin!” Evan called, and Steak and Chocolate both turned to look at him. 

“Do you want anything to drink?” Chocolate asked, typing it into the register. 

Evan looked up at Steak with trepidation. 

“Get whatever you want.”

Evan smiled, and Steak felt like he had done some right in the world. 

“Can I get a mango smoothie?” he asked. 

Chocolate smiled. “Sure kid, and what’s the name for that?”

“My name’s E-“

“Salad.”

It was Evan and Chocolate’s turn to look at Steak. 

“You wanted a salad?” Chocolate asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“No,” he said, “the kid’s name. It’s Salad,” Steak said, eyeing Evan. He didn’t seem to 100% understand, but he nodded. 

“Yes! My name is Salad.”

This kid was surprisingly cooperative. 

Chocolate took a beat of consideration before writing “Salad” on the cup. 

“And for you?” Chocolate asked.

“Black coffee and a turkey club. Put bacon on it.”

Chocolate took down the order and rung them up, despite insisting they didn't have to pay. When they took the number for their order, Steak and Salad went to go sit at a table. 

“Um, why did you tell him my name was ‘Salad’?” the young boy asked once they sat. Steak cut his eyes at him. 

“It’s dangerous to give out your real name, even if it’s just your first name, so you should take an alias. Especially if you are going to be seen around me,” Steak explained. 

“So you have a real name too?” Salad asked. 

“I think so, but I don’t know it.”

Salad let the conversation fall after that, kicking his legs. Steak stared at him. If he hadn’t known that his family had been killed, he wouldn’t suspect that it at all. Nothing about his body language showed that he was upset. It was strange, and led Steak to believe something else was going on.

“Did you dislike your parents?”

Salad startled at his question, green eyes wide, and averted his gaze nervously. 

“Um, no,” he answered hastily. Steak could tell he was lying. 

“You don’t have to lie to me. I don’t care whether you or do or not,” the Demon shrugged. 

“I have pumpkin muffins and a mango smoothie for Salad?” Tiramisu said, interrupting their conversation and setting the items on the table. “Are we all doing alright?”

“We’re fine,” Salad said. 

“Good! And here’s your black coffee, the club will be out in just a minute,” she said, and when she spoke, Steak’s heart felt a little lighter. 

“You’ve changed the décor,” Steak said to her as she set everything down. 

“Our décor?” 

“Yeah, last time it had more plants and you’ve kinda remodeled the place. It’s nice,” the Demon commented, sipping his coffee. Tiramisu sighed and turned towards the counter. 

“Chocolate, stop using magic to change the way the store looks to customers. We’ve talked about this,” she said gently, but with scolding undertones. Chocolate, from the counter, smiled and snapped his fingers, and the illusion of the inside of the store melted away along with the scent of roses. 

So he was a Psychic Mage. 

“Sorry, he does that often, let me check on your turkey club,” the woman said, going back to the counter.

“What just happened to the restaurant?” Salad said, looking around curiously. 

“That man used magic to alter our perception, so we saw different stuff.” 

It was hard for Steak to imagine someone who hadn’t been introduced the idea of magic and Mages. Had Salad been that sheltered?

Salad took a sip of his smoothie, looking down at it thoughtfully and seeming as if he was steeling himself something. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. 

“I didn’t really like my parents,” 

Steak wasn’t shocked, but he said nothing to encourage the boy to continue speaking

“They kicked me out of the house when they realized I uh….when they learned I liked guys and wearing…dresses,” he said, muttering the last part into his cup.  
Steak could see he was scared of the admittance. 

“How old are you?”

“24,” he said. He was pretty young for a Half-Demon. 

“You’ve lived long enough to know what you like. If that’s who you are, then there’s no reason to let anyone try and refute that.” It was the words he’d always wished to hear from his own parents. Steak may not be closeted, but it wasn’t like he was actively searching for someone. If someone asked, he answered truthfully, but aside from that, he didn’t care to correct anyone’s assumptions. 

Salad started crying. 

“Shit. Sorry, I’m not good with…talking,” Steak said, handing the boy some napkins to wipe his eyes. 

“No, it’s just, no one ever said anything like that to me,” Salad said in between light sobs. Steak didn’t know if he needed to do something to comfort him and looked awkwardly around, mainly for help. 

Steak stayed silent and let Salad gather himself. 

“Well, when you get situated, let me know, we can talk about stuff like that in a not-so-public place,” Steak said, talking a bite out of his sandwich. "What about your sister?"

"She was only my half-sister, I didn't know her that well," Salad mumbled. "Though I do think it's terrible what happened to her."

His phone rang in his pocket and oddly, he saw a call from Chief Valencia. 

“Are you with Evan Iverson?” he asked frantically. Steak knew immediately that there was some issue. 

“Yes?”

“Oh, thank God. He ran away from his foster family and they were worried something happened to him.”

Steak pulled the phone away from his face. “You ran away?” he asked accusatorily, and Salad just looked down guiltily. 

“I like hanging out with you better.”

Steak sighed. The boy had only known him a day and he was already making that decision?

“I’ll bring him back. Sorry about that,” he said to Chief Valencia before hanging up. He then got up and turned to Salad. After lunch he’d have to take him back.

“You ever rode a motorcycle?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of Salad's reaction to his parents is based on the reaction I had when my dad died. 
> 
> But yay! The return of some characters we haven't seen in a while. Tiramisu/Coffee/Chocolate is my fave poly ship and I just wanted to write them in a little. I am excited about Salad, I love writing that boy he is just so cute!!
> 
> Also Ms. Ora is the name of the lady who drives one of the buses at my school! That's where the bus driver's name came from!


	31. Part III: Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally 2 separate chapters, but the first chapter would've been really short and kind of out of place, so I combined it with the chapter I think a lot of you have been waiting for!

Even they got some general details about Cloud Tea's whereabouts from Wonton, Steak pried him for a little more information before the Empath Mage came clean. They learned that he had a previous connections with Cloud Tea, and that Tortoise Jelly did as well. Her angelic powers had enhanced their spiritual abilities, but since leaving Light Kingdom, they hadn’t had any contact with her. 

“This whole time, and you never told us about your relationship to Cloud Tea,” Steak grumbled, though not nearly as angry as he was before. It was his impression that this whole case could've moved a lot quicker had they known that information from the beginning. The Vampires would've maybe never lost their house, a situation that was steadily growing with a problem as Steak had to reign in his control on doing foolish things now that Red Wine stayed a room away from him.

“That information was on a need to know basis, and you didn’t need to know,” Wonton explained in exasperation. 

They had decided to all travel to Light Kingdom to get in touch with the Beast Sweet and Sour Fish and Cloud Tea, and they were currently loading their overhead compartments on the plane. Not wanting to be left out of the loop in case of an emergency, Steak extended his phone plan to include coverage in Light Kingdom. Red Wine did as well. They didn’t know how long they would be in Light Kingdom, though they only hoped a week or two maximum. Steak made sure to leave Milt in charge. 

As they settled into the plane, Red Wine turned to Steak. 

“Why did you decide on Milt? Why not Milk?” he asked. 

“Milt was temporarily in charge of the gang after my parents died. I wasn’t old enough to inherit it yet and so she advised and made all the decisions,” Steak explained, getting comfortable. 

Sitting comfortably with Steak on the plane, Red Wine felt a sudden pang of longing in his heart to know more about the Demon. The Vampire hadn’t known when the desire snuck up on him, and he battled it for a while before giving into the truth. 

He sipped his warmed tomato juice. 

It would be fine. He had a surprise waiting for Steak in Light Kingdom. This game had gone on long enough, and Red Wine was getting impatient.

But in Gloriville, trouble stirred. 

In large black vans with a globally known insignia on the side, representatives from the Academy from Nevras pulled up to the police station. 

In his home, feeding well-cared for fish, Caviar gasped, a premonition flashing before his one covered eye. He covered his left eye to better see the alternate, possible reality that had suddenly come into focus. As he watched, he dropped the fish food in horror and scrambled for his phone. He dialed Milt, one of his most frequented numbers. 

_”Well, what a pleasant surprise~”_ Milt cooed, but Caviar wasn’t in the mood for her flirtations. 

“Take the Vampires and run,” he said. “Everyone needs to get away from the base.” 

_”Jesus, Caviar, is this another false alarm?”_ Milt said, but the sounds of her gathering her things was evident over the phone. 

On the other line, Milt was concealing mild panic. She hung up on Caviar and called the base, and when no one answered, she got in her car and drove, frantically calling the base over and over again. 

When she got there, the security from the entrance hall was gone, and Milt felt her panic rise. Inside the normally bustling base, people were knocked out, though it didn’t look like there’d been any signs of a fight. Milt rushed downstairs, and was horrified to find that only Salty Tofu and Gingerbread had been left, probably due to their possession. 

She got back on the line with Caviar, who had been waiting to hear any news. 

“They’re gone. Almost all of them.”

\-----x~*~x-----

The plane ride from Hilena to Spring Town was fine, and Steak left Red Wine in charge of the check-in, considering he had been in charge of the booking and check-in last time.

They had gotten the full story from Wonton about their life in Light Kingdom before moving to Gloriville. It seemed that they would have little to no issue with finding Cloud Tea as long as they found their way to the Forgetful Courtyard where they all used to live. 

Red Wine came over to let Steak know they had successfully checked in. Steak didn’t pitch a fit when he saw they were in the same room, and a part of him wondered if he would be able to keep himself together being so close to the Vampire. He had been stressed and pent up because of all the new developments, and knowing that Red Wine was interested in him didn't help. 

“Another single again? There’s no way this happens twice in a row,” Steak complained, dropping his bags on the ground when they got to the room. 

“It doesn’t,” Red Wine said, also putting his bags up. His heart raced from the anxiety of what was going to happen next. The flirting and sexual tension had finally reached a breaking point, and Red Wine had enough. Despite centuries of wooing and courting, he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit nervous. It was strange. Maybe because it was Steak? He purposefully booked a single bed hotel. It was now or never. 

Steak turned and looked at Red Wine questioningly, and the Vampire pressed their lips together. Even though they’d shared a kiss before, Red Wine was still tentative, but when Steak exhaled and pulled him closer, he knew there was nothing to worry about. 

“You did this on purpose,” Steak said, pulling away from the Vampire. Red Wine couldn’t help but lick his lips, being so close to Steak meant he could nearly taste what had only been a delicious aroma before. It wasn’t like Steak wanted separate beds either, missing the feeling of having someone lying beside him. 

“Of course.”

“You immortal beings sure do take your time,” Steak said amusedly, placing his hands on Red Wine’s hips. 

“Quiet,” the Vampire grumbled before shoving Steak down on the bed. “I want to see what those abs can do.”

The blatant admission made heat rush to Steak’s dick, and he shrugged off his jacket. Red Wine grabbed a small bottle of lube before straddling Steak and removing his own clothes. With practiced ease they removed layer by layer locking lips messily while they did so. Sexual tension trumped romance in this situation, and when they were both down to their boxers, Red Wine groaned. In his mind, he imagined sucking Steak off, and potentially knicking him with his teeth to let flavorful splashes of blood dot his tongue. 

“You must have really been holding it in recently,” Steak breathed raggedly, moving closer the center of the bed and pulling Red Wine with him. “Grindr hasn’t been working for you?”

Red Wine could tell it was an attempt at a joke, and he laughed dryly before gasping as Steak took his erection into his warm hand. 

“I could say the same for you,” Red Wine responded, slicking up his fingers and bringing one to his own ass to stretch it. He let Steak languidly stroke his front as he fingered himself, an overwhelming sensation of breathlessness washing over the Vampire and making him shiver. 

Upon seeing it, Steak placed his other hand on Red Wine’s taut stomach, warming the skin with his palm and making the Vampire moan. The heat felt good. 

After adding more fingers, Red Wine kicked completely out of his underwear. He tugged down Steak’s boxers, watching his heavy dick spring forward and resisting the urge to lick his lips.

“When were you tested last?” Red Wine breathed.

“I’m clean,” Steak responded, rolling his hips up into Red Wine’s lukewarm heat. “Did you bring condoms?”

“If you’re clean then I don’t want to use them.”

Steak snorted. “What if I’m lying to you just to raw you? You trust my word?”

“Yes.”

The breathless way that Red Wine said that one word made Steak’s heart do funny things. 

“But only because you can’t convincingly lie to me to save your life,” Red Wine added, smirking cockily. 

Steak held his hand out, and said the word “lube” with a deflated tone before Red Wine passed it to him. Using a generous amount, he fisted his own dick and wiped the excess on the top of the bed sheets. The feeling of Red Wine’s lithe hips under his hands was a bit surreal and he exhaled as he began pushing into the Vampire. He was met with resistance and Steak had to quell the urge to just force himself through. 

“Relax,” he said through gritted teeth. 

“Excuse me for being tense,” Red Wine quipped, but shifted slightly so the angle was better, allowing Steak to fit all the way in. Where there hips joined it was warm, not burning hot like Steak had been used to, but because of Red Wine’s lower bod temperature, it was just warm. 

His dark ponytail was hanging past his shoulder and once he was adjusted, Red Wine sat up on his knees, dropping himself down hard on Steak’s dick.

“Jesus,” Steak breathed, his hips jolting upwards to get more friction from the Vampire. Red Wine moaned and continued his actions, riding Steak at a steady pace. 

“Don’t you look enthused,” Red Wine commented haughtily, as he worked himself over Steak’s dick. It had been a while, and the tight, lukewarm heat surrounding him rendered Steak nearly speechless. 

“You prick,” he grunted, placing both of his hands on Red Wine’s hips to push him down as he thrusted upwards. Red Wine’s back arched, and he moaned loudly, his hips stuttering as Steak took charge, controlling the pace. 

“Go slower, you ass,” Red Wine choked out, between heavy pants. His breathing was shallow, and he could feel blood pulsing south towards his denied, heavy dick. 

“Hell no,” Steak responded, sounding just as ragged. Sweat beaded at his forehead and his eyebrows furrowed together as he felt the tension build low in his abdomen. 

“It’s a good thing you’re attractive, because your personality is horrid.”

The compliment made Steak’s heart flutter, and he hardened inside Red Wine, causing the Vampire to gasp. 

“I didn’t know you were into compliments,” Red Wine breathed, smirking. “Or do you like it when I degrade you?”

“Shut up.”

“God, Steak, your cock feels so good buried so deep in my ass,” Red Wine said, testing the waters with an obviously jokingly, high-pitched wanton voice he used. But even though he was joking, Steak’s hips jerked, and he groaned. 

“Fuck,” Red Wine hissed, leaning over the Demon. “That feels good.”

Steak’s pace was shaky, as the heat coiled tighter and tighter within him. He moaned as he fucked Red Wine, feeling his orgasm dangerously close. 

“I’m gonna come,” he mumbled between quickening breaths. As an arrow shot from the bow, the tension within him released, shooting warm seed into Red Wine as ecstasy washed over him. Polished nails dug into the skin on his shoulder as he rode out his orgasm, and when he was finished, he panted, feeling completely drained. 

For a moment, neither of them moved. 

“Well, that was fun, but are you planning on just lying there like a log?” 

Steak cracked an eye open and grunted. Red Wine pulled off of his dick, wincing at the wet sound it made. 

“If you don’t move, I’m coming on your face,” Red Wine threatened, and Steak slowly sat up after a moment. After a horrible experience with a man from the bar, he had sworn off facials forever, and he’d be damned if Red Wine came on his face. 

“Just give me a minute. I’ll let you fuck me I guess,” Steak sighed, plopping back down on the bed. Red Wine grabbed the lube and lied down beside Steak, waiting for his refractory period to end. 

After a few moments, Steak took the lube from Red Wine, decided to prep himself. 

“Do you not trust me to do it?” the Vampire asked, slightly affronted. Steak couldn’t find him threatening after having his dick inside of him. 

“It’s weird,” Steak replied, slicking up his fingers and fingering himself. 

Red Wine didn’t move from his spot beside Steak, but he propped himself up on one arm to watch him, bringing his hand down to his own member to lazily stroke himself. 

“Don’t jerk off while watching me,” Steak huffed, feeling the stirrings in his loins. He was still sensitive, so it didn’t take too long for him to add two fingers. 

“Why? It’s more convenient. Does it turn you on?”

Once again, the question was said as a joke, but Steak’s averted gaze told Red Wine all he needed to know. 

“Interesting. You’re more debauched than I thought.”

“Shut up,” Steak said for the umpteenth time, shuddering as he stretch himself with his fingers. 

Red Wine sat up and moved to sit between Steak’s legs. 

“Turn over.”

There was a tone to Red Wine’s voice that actually seemed dangerous, and it sent a jolt of pleasure through the Demon. He turned to be on his hands and knees. In all actuality, Steak disliked this position, but he didn’t know if he would be able to watch Red Wine’s face as the Vampire fucked him. 

When he felt the first push of Red Wine’s dick against his ass, he tensed. Red Wine simply clicked his tongue and Steak exhaled, relaxing to let the Vampire through. From the feel of him, there wasn’t much difference in size between him and Hamburger, so the fit wasn’t too terrible.

Red Wine took a courteous moment for Steak to adjust, before moving languidly. Steak was used to a faster pace, and he rocked himself backwards to experience more. When Red Wine’s dick brushed against his prostate, Steak gasped, shivering lightly. He was still sensitive from his recent orgasm, and felt like his nerve endings were fried. However, he soldiered on. 

“Faster,” Steak said in irritation, not liking having to force the pace. He couldn’t see Red Wine’s face but the Vampire took a moment, pulling out before setting a much faster pace.  
It was as if the wind was stolen from his lungs every time Red Wine thundered into him.

“Fuck, yes, Red Wine harder-!” Steak gasped, vaguely surprised at the words spilling forth from his own mouth. Having the Vampire’s hard dick inside of him was unlike nothing he’d experienced, even with Hamburger. Red Wine’s hands went to hold on Steak’s horns, keeping him still as he fucked into him ruthlessly.

Steak let out a choked moan at Red Wine’s chilled fingers on his horns. 

“Lower.”

Red wine paused for a moment breathing heavily. “What?”

Agitated, Steak threw his hips back to feel Red Wine’s dick rub his prostate. “My horns,” he growled, “grab them lower.” 

Red Wine’s delicate fingers slid down the length of Steaks horns until they were mingled with his short red hair, and he tugged from there, jerking Steak’s body backwards to spear him on his dick.

The combined sensations left Steak panting and he groaned loudly as he came, thick white spurts falling the bed below him.

“Holy hell, did you come from that?” Red Wine asked incredulously, still pounded Steak from behind.

The Demom only moaned, not coherent enough to string together an actual answer. Red Wine however, kept using Steak’s body until he tumbled over the edge of orgasm himself, spilling into Steak and coating his insides with his warm seed. 

When he pulled out, he rolled beside Steak and flopped on the bed to catch his breath.

“That’s been long overdue,” Red Wine mumbled after a while, lifting his arms to his head to take out his now sloppy ponytail. 

Steak, after having two orgasms, felt thoroughly sated, and only wanted to sleep. They could worry about other things in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They finally banged. I'm crying y'all.


	32. Part III: Chapter Six

Steak woke up to missed calls from Milt and a text message from Salad. The calls took precedence and he called Milt back. 

_“Steak!”_ she exclaimed the moment he got on the phone. _“What have you been doing I tried to call you like 20 times!”_

Steak looked over to where Red Wine was sleeping peacefully, his dark hair spread across the pillows like oil. 

“Uh, things.”

_“We have a huge problem. The Vampires are gone.”_

“What?!” Steak snarled, causing Red Wine to stir, taking a deep breath and opening his eyes blearily. At seeing Steak’s disgruntled face he furrowed his eyebrows.

_“Gingerbread and Salty Tofu are still here, but the others were taken. And that’s not all; the Academy came by looking for you.”_

“What the hell, I’ve literally been gone one day.”

There was rustling on the other side of the line. 

_“Steak, I have to go. Don’t call me back. I’ll call you. See if Red Wine can get in touch with his family,”_ Milt said before hanging up. She typically would give some form of “goodbye” so the abrupt end in conversation was ominous. 

“What happened?” Red Wine asked, voice scratchy. Steak looked at him and hated that he would have to be the bearer of bad news. 

“The Academy went to the base, and your family is gone, no one knows where they went.”

Red Wine shot up and reached for his phone, only seeing one missed call from Cold Rice Shrimp. Steak had never seen the Vampire so panicked as he called her back. 

_“Well, well, well, look who finally returns his little sister’s call.”_

Red Wine felt his heart sink at the sound of the unfamiliar voice on Cold Rice Shrimp’s phone. 

“Who is this?” he said menacingly, and it was Steak’s turn to look confused. 

_“I’m hurt you can’t recall the sound of my voice; I bet you have no problem remembering my brother’s.”_

“Spaghetti,” Red Wine hissed. “What did you do to my family?”

“Give me the phone,” Steak said holding his hand out. Red Wine reluctantly handed it over. 

_“Oh I’ve been having lots of fun with them-“_ Steak heard Spaghetti said before he put the phone up to his face. 

“Let them go,” he growled. 

_“How am I not surprised that you’re with that nasty little Vampire,”_ Spaghetti sighed wistfully. _“You wouldn’t provide me with the people I needed to have my fun, so I went out and got my own.”_

Steak’s blood ran cold. 

“You waited until I left,” he realized aloud. 

_“You’ve always been a bit late to the start_ little brother _. Just imagine how much the city is going to love you when I tell them about how you’ve been harboring murderers,”_ he said, and it dawned on Steak finally that Spaghetti had been after leading the gang this whole time. 

“You son of a bitch.”

_“That bitch is your mom too,”_ Spaghetti reminded. _“She would be so hurt to hear you speaking so poorly of her. Tell you what. I’ll give you a deal.”_

“Don’t you dare touch any of them or I swear-“

_“You sign over all of the gang’s territory and operations to me and put me in charge, and I’ll let all these little freaks go.”_

Steak froze and looked over to Red Wine, whose face was etched with worry. Steak was torn on saying anything to either side of the deal, and as he realized that he wasn't going to let Spaghetti have either, the Half-Demon interrupted him. 

_“I’ll let you think about it. You have 5 days to tell me your decision.”_

The line went dead and Steak had to resist the urge to crush the phone in his palm or chuck it across the room considering it wasn’t his. 

“What did he say? Is my family safe?”

"I have 5 days to turn the gang over to him, or he begins torturing your family,” Steak said. Red Wine opened his mouth to speak then shut it, turning his head. Steak got up out of the bed and began gathering his clothes from the night before. 

“What are you going to do?” Red Wine asked, a little scared to hear the answer. 

“Save them, of course. We have to go back to Gloriville.”

“But we haven’t finished what we needed to do. If this apocalypse happens, everyone in the world will die, not just my family,” Red Wine argued, despite his deepest wishes. It made Steak pause and the Demon gritted his teeth. 

“Spaghetti has done some of the worse things to people I can imagine. He gets enjoyment from toying with people and experimenting on them. I thought I could change him and make him realize that wasn’t an option, but obviously that didn’t work,” Steak explained. “Which is why he can’t be in charge of the Demons, and why he can’t be allowed to have your family for another moment.”

Red Wine looked at his phone, wondering for a sorrowful moment if he would ever see his family again. He would have to go to another clan, and there was nothing he wanted less.

There was a knock on their door. 

Assuming it was room service Steak growled. “We’re busy!”

“It’s Tortoise Jelly.”

The Demon put on lounge clothes that he brought and opened the door slightly, knowing Red Wine wasn’t dressed. Tortoise Jelly inspected him curiously for a moment before speaking. 

“If we wanted to head to the Forgetful Courtyard before night fall, we should be leaving soon,” he said. 

“Alright, we’ll be in the lobby in a second.”

“It’ll be a bit of a hike, wear comfortable clothes,” he said, before turning to head back to his shared room with Wonton. Steak closed the door and sighed. 

“We still have 5 days to think of a plan,” Red Wine said, getting up. “We need to focus on what we came here to do.”

Red Wine’s tenacity was insane, but Steak could only assume it came from multiple lifetimes worth of hardships. 

They spent rarely any time getting dressed. They had known they would need to walk through mountain passages and forests to get to the courtyard, so they had packed accordingly. Steak wore fitted athletic pants and a loose muscle tee with large holes for the arms. From the side, you could see Steak’s muscled abs and toned chest. It was torture. 

Red Wine also wore athletic pants, but wore a sweat-wicking jacket over a sweat-wicking tee shirt. Steak didn’t understand the layers, considering how hot it was going to be, but he chalked it up to Red Wine being cold-natured.

Steak brought a backpack that strapped across his chest. He didn’t hike often, but he knew he needed lots of water, just like any exercise. He also packed some first aid supplies.  
When they all gathered in the lobby, they left. They took a ride as close as they could go to the forest. It was a 45 minute drive up a mountain, but the four of them made light conversation. Steak didn’t reveal the news about Spaghetti, not wanting to put unnecessary Stress on Wonton and Tortoise Jelly. 

When they got out of the car, they began walking through the forest. Red Wine was a little worried about letting Wonton lead the way simply from memory, and after an hour of walking, he worried that they were lost. 

“Is this the right way?” Steak asked, speaking the question on Red Wine’s mind. 

“Yes,” Wonton answered. “We’re almost there.”

The sun was nearly about to set, and they had spent all day walking. Halfway through the hike, Red Wine started getting hot from his clothes and the exertion, and he put his hair up in a high ponytail to keep it off his neck. Steak could see red bit marks he’d left on pale skin the night before and smiled to himself a little. He wouldn’t tell Red Wine. 

Walking for a while, Steak wondered why Red Wine had insisted on the layers. He knew that they weren’t super sensitive to the sun, and that it just burned Vampires easier without proper sun screen. It was evident that it was hot, but Red Wine still seemed to be covered from his neck down. 

They came upon a clearing that had a large hut built in the middle, with rivers and lakes flowing around it. 

“We’re here,” Tortoise Jelly said, nostalgia washing over him and Wonton. 

They walked to the hut and sat upon the marbled outside seats. Finally resting after such a long day, Steak took a bottle of water and chugged it, before refilling it with lake water and pouring it over his head. 

Red Wine scoffed at the action. Steak had no right doing something so obscenely attractive. 

From the lake, there was a swishing noise and a woman with long black hair poked her head out of the water. She wore an orange and red dress that floated softly in the water, and where her legs would be, there was a long silvery tail. 

“You must be Wonton. Cloud Tea told me of your arrival,” she said in a soft and delicate voice to the blond. Wonton knelt by the water’s edge. 

“I am, what is your name?”

“I was told to go by Sweet and Sour Fish,” she responded. “How was your journey?”

“Long,” Wonton responded. 

“You mentioned Cloud Tea?” Red Wine asked. 

The Beast turned to look at Red Wine. “Yes, she was a little reluctant, but she wants to help you. She watches over Wonton and Tortoise Jelly from the heavens and knew they would be coming to ask about the apocalypse.”

Steak felt relieved that they wouldn’t have to explain any situations. 

“However, Cloud Tea cannot return for another day. She told me that she would be waiting for you at this spot then,” Sweet and Sour Fish explained. Steak gritted his teeth and shared a look with Red Wine. They didn’t have that sort of time. 

“We can wait until then,” Red Wine said, looking as if he swallowed down something bitter. 

Steak wouldn’t admit it aloud, but Red Wine was stronger than him.

Sweet and Sour Fish nodded.

“I’m sorry there is a wait. Cloud Tea is eagerly waiting to meet you.”


	33. Part III: Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I missed yesterday! I was travelling to Baton Rouge for a gig, and I just didn't have any time to post.

Instead of making the hike back down to Spring Town, they decided to stay in the hut. Wonton and Tortoise Jelly were enthused about the last second camping trip, whereas Steak and Red Wine were not. 

They hadn’t expected to be camping out in the woods, and while Wonton and Tortoise Jelly were completely fine with staying in the same layers, Red Wine in particular was feeling grossed out by not being able to wear clean clothes. They had already spent one night in the hut, and the next day was spent catching and cooking their own food. It was like they had secluded themselves from the rest of the world.

Steak had thought he might call Omurice and try to get Spaghetti’s location pinned down, but he didn’t have any service here. Red Wine did but Steak didn’t have Omurice’s number memorized, and it would be too much information to try to convey to Milk, Milt or Yogurt to have one of them call Omurice for him. 

So for now they were sitting ducks.

“You don’t even sweat,” Steak said in aggravation after hearing more of Red Wine’s complaining. He was stripped of his own shirt and washing it in the river between his heated hands to get it clean. Considering the sun was close to setting, he figured he had been in his clothes long enough.

“That’s not the point,” Red Wine snapped from the shade of the hut, not so subtly staring at Steak’s broad back. 

Steak wrung out his shirt when he was done. 

“Do you want me to wash yours?” 

Red Wine scoffed. “That’s hardly what I would call a washing, but it’s better than nothing,” he said, pulling off his jacket and tee shirt. Wonton and Tortoise Jelly had gone foraging for dinner, so Red Wine had no qualms removing his clothes

Steak took them and began scrubbing at the shirt between the warmth of his hands. Without soap, it really wasn’t much of a washing, but Steak was under the impression that the heat and water would probably get most of the grime off, and no one had stopped him yet. 

In peaceful silence, Steak washed Red Wine’s clothes, before hanging them over the banister that served as a divider for the hut. Red Wine, looked to the bamboo thicket where Wonton and Tortoise Jelly had disappeared to. 

“How long will it take them to dry?”

Steak gave Red Wine and incredulous look. 

“A long time. Why?” he asked. Red Wine looked uncomfortable, as if he was trying to hide himself in the broad daylight. “Would you like me to steam them? It’ll dry them faster.”

“Yes,” Red Wine quipped. It was behavior much unlike the Vampire, and Steak wondered what was up, but he didn’t care to question it as he took Red Wine’s shirt and ran his dry, heated hands over the cloth, heating the water and ironing it until the fabric was dry. 

He threw the garment at Red Wine, who caught it with ease. 

Without saying thanks, he pulled the shirt over his head, pulling his loose hair from the collar. In casual wear he looked very different and Steak found himself staring at him. 

“What?"

“Nothing,” Steak said. 

Even dressed casually, he made sure to cover up, and aside from now and their tryst, Steak pondered on why Red Wine never revealed much skin. His eyes narrowed at the Vampire. 

“Do you hate showing your skin?” Steak asked, and the shocked and accusatory look he received told him everything he needed to know. “Why?”

“That’s none of your business,” Red Wine said, crossing his arms over his chest, and retreating further into the hut away from Steak. 

Well, that went as well as was to be expected. 

Alone, Steak took off his pants, leaving himself in just his boxers as he washed the pants in the river. From under the water, something moved and Sweet and Sour Fish appeared at the edge. 

“I’ve brought you fish,” she said softly, averting her gaze away from Steak’s indecency. Steak couldn’t care less one way or another, and took the fish from her, setting them on the ground to the side. 

“Thank you,” he said, and while she looked like she had something more to say, she slipped back into the water seamlessly. 

If what she had to say was important, she would return, so Steak wouldn’t worry about it. Instead he took to scaling and gutting the fish with a knife Red Wine had brought. He had seemed upset earlier in the day about using his knife for something so gross, but Steak ignored him. Wonton and Tortoise Jelly had followed his lead. 

Alone, Steak thought back to the issue with Spaghetti, and the offer he had been given. It wasn’t so much as to what he should tell Spaghetti, because he already knew he was going to refuse on the terms. He would be taking back the Vampires but he wouldn’t sign the gang over. However, figuring out how he would find and secure them was the problem. In the car on the way up the mountain, Steak had given instructions to Milt to consolidate all their forces and focus solely on finding the Vampires. The task force dedicated to tracking down the monsters was put on hold to be used for the Vampire finding effort instead, but even then, without specialized help, they might not be able to do much.

He had grown accustomed to the Vampires living at the base, and having Red Wine around was not only convenient, but Steak would also admit he enjoyed having someone else in his living space. Normally, he hated other people bothering him, but having Red Wine around gave him purpose. And now, with the change of their relationship, it would probably be even more convenient. 

Steak felt himself stir at the thought and wondered if he should put his pants back on.

Deciding to dry his pants after washing his hands from scaling, he slipped them on, and when he made a fire to cook the fish, Wonton and Tortoise Jelly arrived from the brush. They carried a bag filled with many vegetables they’d foraged. Despite being healthy and liking exercise, Steak also liked meat and food that tasted good even if it was bad for him, so the season-lacking food they got for themselves in the wild was leaving him wanting for more. 

“What did you find?” Steak asked, passing over the fish. 

“We found some enokitake mushrooms, onions, and bamboo leaves,” Tortoise Jelly explained, seeming a little more lively in such an open place. “If we wrap the fish in the bamboo leaves and steam them, and cook the mushrooms with the onions, we could get some good flavor.”

Steak doubted it. There wasn’t any seasoning.

Red Wine, who had been by himself for a while, walked to where the fire was, keeping his distance from it but basking in its warmth. 

“Have you kept up with the news?” Red Wine asked, directing his question towards Steak. 

“No. What happened this time?” Steak asked exasperated. As Wonton and Tortoise Jelly prepared the food, they listened with rapt interest. 

“Gloriville is stationing troops along the coast of the North Sea.”

At this point, none of them were surprised. 

After the family from Gloriville had been sacrificed to Inugami during their festival, there was growing dispute between the Clemens family of Gloriville and the Prime Minister of Sakurajima. The tensions in both countries also helped spark feelings of resentment, and now they were mobilizing their armies. Hilena had become a hot spot for riots and being along the northern coast, the military presence would only fuel the fire. 

Steak sighed. 

“So, now we’re dealing with war?” he asked, dimming the fire slightly so Wonton could place the bamboo-wrapped fish on top of the rocks. Steak hadn’t been worried about the riots in Hilena, thinking that after they solved this case, enough people would understand that the riots would stop, but now he felt the inklings of worry.

Steak was feeling stressed, and he wished he had his cigarettes with him. Since they weren’t at the hotel until tomorrow, he couldn’t feel the burn of his muscles straining against heavy weights. Maybe he’d just work out with what he could and call it a night. 

Dinner was uneventful, and Steak thought the food was a bit bland, but he ate it. He may have preferences but he wasn’t a picky eater. Red Wine, who didn’t need to eat really, still tried some of the fish. Afterwards, they cleaned up and Steak decided he would try to work out some of his restless energy. The sun had nearly sunk below the horizon, so it was cooler, and Steak walked over to a free spot near the river and began doing push-ups.

When he got to 15 he was interrupted. 

“Is this some sort of intimidation tactic?” 

Steak looked up at Red Wine, but didn’t cease his push-ups. 

“What do you want?” he asked, slightly irritated. 

“Can I not wonder as to why you’re doing push-ups?” 

“I’m restless,” Steak replied honestly. It wasn’t shocking for him anymore to tell him the truth, especially after having sex with the Vampire. 

“I think there are other things you could be doing with that energy,” Red Wine quipped, the cheeky undertones evident to Steak, who was used to Red Wine’s mannerisms. He paused his push-ups, but then resumed. 

“Things? Did you have something else I could do in mind?”

Steak didn’t flirt. He was very direct and didn’t like superfluous words and charged language, but he couldn’t help but feel like matching Red Wine toe-to-toe.

“I’m sure I could think of something. There are some things I need to take my mind off of.”

Steak stopped with his push-ups, feeling a little exerted and looking towards the hut. There wasn’t much in the way of privacy, so unless they wanted Wonton and Tortoise Jelly to get in on the action, they couldn’t do anything until they got back to the hotel. 

Following Steak’s gaze, Red Wine huffed. 

“After you exercise, meet me at that spring,” Red Wine said, jerking his chin to the direction he meant. 

“Fine,” Steak said before getting back to his push-ups.

\-----x~*~x-----

As irritating as the Vampire was, he had to admit, he was attractive. 

The sun had already set and in the still, warm spring, his pale skin seemed to glitter under the moonlight, bathing him in an ethereal glow. Straddled above Steak’s waist, the Vampire seemed predatory, backlit by the moon, and red eyes gleaming. Steak understood now how people could fall in love with them and their tantalizing beauty. 

Not that he was falling in love with Red Wine or anything. 

He sighed as the hand around his cock squeezed. 

“What nonsense are you thinking about,” Red Wine huffed, the red that splashed his cheeks from the heat of the springs and their activities making him seem even more appealing. 

Steak rubbed the underside of Red Wine’s dick with his thumb, feeling the Vampire shudder.

“Nothing,” he said, tucking his face into the crook of Red Wine’s neck and laving his tongue over the existing marks from their last coupling. For a moment, the idea of Red Wine sinking his fangs into his own neck flashed through his mind, and his dick twitched in the Vampire’s hand. 

If they had the proper materials, Red Wine would ride Steak again, but he didn’t feel like he could take his cock in this situation. Steak was bigger than what he was used to, though Red Wine wasn’t complaining. 

He focused on getting Steak off, encouraging him to do the same as he panted, taking in the visual of the Demon’s broad but scarred chest and feeling a tightening coil within him. His left hand went to Steak’s shoulder. 

“Keep going,” he breathed, “I’m close.”

Steak’s other hand, which had been resting on Red Wine’s hip to balance him, slipped between his legs and a finger poked at Red Wine’s clenched hole. The Vampire hissed in shock. 

“What are you doing?” he asked in a hushed tone. 

“Trying to finger you?” Steak replied, not caring about the words he used as he felt a finger slip in easily. Red Wine shuddered above him and his hand picked up its pace. 

Coordinating one hand to stroke Red Wine, and his other to fuck him open with his fingers was difficult, but Steak found a groove, leaving Red Wine a whimpering mess. 

“Don’t slack off,” Steak said airily as Red Wine’s hand sputtered to a stop and he moaned. 

“Cocky ass,” Red Wine groaned, tugging at Steak’s dick and resting his head on the Demon’s shoulder. The warmth emanating from him made Red Wine’s head fuzzy, and the scent of his blood just beneath a thin layer of skin was enticing. He scraped his fangs against Steak’s neck. 

“Fuck,” Steak cursed, his hips jolting into the Vampire’s hand. Against the skin of his neck, he could feel Red Wine’s lips curl into a smirk. 

“Did you want me to bite you?” 

Steak clenched his jaw, and added a second finger into Red Wine’s tight hole in hopes of getting him to stop talking. 

Their mutual handjobs turned into them fucking each other’s hands, Red Wine riding Steak’s fingers and rolling his hips into Steak’s right hand, and Steak thrusting his hips into the hole Red Wine’s fingers made. 

“Steak,” Red Wine breathed, feeling the tension rise and swell in his chest. “I’m so close, I’m…”

He didn’t finish his sentence as Steak surged forward to bite the Vampire, sucking a dark mark of possession against his pale skin. Red Wine came with a choked cry in his hand, and the look of ecstasy on the Vampire’s face, coupled with the red tinting his cheeks, made him look like an image straight out of an obscene fantasy, and Steak was coming moments afterwards. 

The water washed away the evidence of their deed, and the two were left panting, taking a moment to gather themselves before Red Wine climbed off of Steak’s waist.

“That definitely calmed me down,” Steak commented once his breathing was level. Red Wine rolled his eyes at the Demon before getting out of the spring, patting himself dry with his jacket before slipping on his shirt, underwear and pants. Steak followed his lead, and in silence, they walked back to the hut. 

To sleep, they had made pallets from old cloths and thin mattresses left behind from when Tortoise Jelly and Wonton lived here. There was only two so they had made obvious pairings and set up the makeshift beds in two corners of the hut, separated by thin, bamboo partitions. 

Steak and Red Wine walked into the small room designated as theirs and got ready for bed. It didn’t take long for the two to lie down together, and in the silence of the night came a question from Steak. 

“What are we doing?”

“We’re _trying_ to sleep,” Red Wine responded, his back towards the Demon. 

“I meant with the fucking,” Steak clarified, making sure to keep his voice down so as to not disturb Wonton and Tortoise Jelly, who would still be within ear shot of their normal speaking voices. 

Red Wine turned around and stared hard at Steak. Because of how close they had to sleep together, there wasn’t room for both of them to look at each other, unless Red Wine wanted to fight against Steak’s horns. 

“We’re sleeping together,” Red Wine said. “Was that unclear?”

Steak got really tired of Red Wine’s sarcasm sometimes. And by “sometimes” it usually meant “most times”.

“No shit, Sherlock. I was just wondering what the arrangement was.”

That statement made Red Wine sit up, holding himself up with his elbow. 

“Unless you’re opposed, I thought it would be best to hook up exclusively,” Red Wine explained. 

Hook up.

Those two words made something sink in Steak’s chest and he shrugged, rolling over away from the Vampire. 

It wasn’t like he’d been hoping for more from Red Wine, but there was something so impersonal about the nature of a hook-up that left Steak feeling defeated. Even he couldn’t ignore that there was something more than just sexual tension and physicality between them, but if Red Wine only wanted to hook-up, Steak would give him what he wanted. 

“Are you…pouting?” Red Wine asked incredulously. 

“No.”

“You are!” he said, a little louder than he intended and sitting up. “You really are such a child. Are you that upset about wanting to be exclusive? Need I remind you about the nature of my immune system?”

“That’s not it,” Steak clarified. “I’m fine with being exclusive. It’s better that way anyway.”

“Well...good.” 

With a strangely heavy heart, Steak fell into a light sleep. Tomorrow they’d be meeting the Angel Cloud Tea, and it was needless to say Steak was a little nervous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sweet and Sour Fish. She's gonna be swimming around in that water.


	34. Part III: Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! But there's finally some answers to a lot of the questions you guys have been asking! I hope you enjoy this chapter. There's only a few more left until the end!
> 
> There's a lot of Christian mentions in this chapter. Don't know if people needed to read that. Read the end note for more details.

None of them were sure what to expect when they met Cloud Tea, but it wasn’t the human looking woman coaxing them out of sleep with the sounds of a flute. 

Of course, she looked far more elegant than the average human. 

Her pale hair, skin, and clothes made her seem like a ghost, and when the four of them came out of the hut to inspect the noise of the flute, Sweet and Sour Fish was lounging at the water’s edge, humming a soft melody alongside the music. When she saw the others approaching, she stopped humming and looked away bashfully, before slipping into the water. For a moment, Cloud Tea suspended a note, the tension melting away as she resolved with a more calming sonority. 

“Wonton,” she said in a voice as smooth and lilting as the flute. “And Tortoise Jelly. It is nice to see old friends.”

Wonton smiled, but it seemed there was pain behind his visage. 

“We didn’t mean to leave you here alone, Cloud Tea,” he started, and the Angel raised a thin hand. 

“I am aware of your situation, and I have been watching you this time. You’ve made some more friends.” When she spoke, she turned a light glare to Steak and Red Wine. 

“Cloud Tea, we’ve come to ask about your sister Canele. There have been strange things happening in Gloriville,” he said, and Steak wondered if he’d ever seen the Empath Mage look on another with such humility. Tortoise Jelly sat beside him. 

“I shall explain everything," she said, giving an unreadable look towards Steak. 

"What?" the Demon asked, bristling. 

"Even if I must indulge information to a Demon.”

The comment felt like a slap to the face, but Steak bit his tongue. Normally he would rebuke a comment like that, but since they were looking to Cloud Tea for a debt, he needed to stay civil. 

“I must first explain that Canele is acting independent of the wishes of the other Angels. In order to fight those of us who have fallen, she has decided that the best solution would be the end of the world.”

“Fallen? Do you mean Demons?” Red Wine asked. 

“Not particularly. As much as we would love to dispose of them, Demons most evenly match our powers, and if we were to be outnumbered, it could mean the death of an Angel. Foie Gras is the only Angel among us that is experienced in combat. Until our Divine Ruler returns, we are acting only as extensions of Their power.”

“Until They return?” Wonton asked, not knowing how to phrase his question. 

“We have no idea where They have gone, and in Their leave, we Angels are left to follow Their will and do Their works. The Divine’s absence has created new Fallen Angels, and those creatures are dangerous, taking all shapes and forms and harming humans instead of protecting them," she explained. "I know you have captured some of the strange creatures in Gloriville. The monsters you have been studying are examples of some Fallen Angels.”

Steak and Red Wine shared a look, knowing that they had been on the right track with investigating what they now knew were Fallen Angels. They had all been connected. Cloud Tea continued. 

“Without our Divine Ruler’s presence, Canele decided to invoke the Pestilence to kill the Fallen Angels, and while most of them were defeated, some of the stronger Fallen Angels still persisted. We insisted she leave the Fallen Angels alone, but she has always had a loving heart, and desperately wanted to stop panic and death from arising due to the Fallen Angel's presence. The Pestilence as you know it simply purifies. For those unworthy and tainted, it will kill them, and for those who are truly pure find redemption and strength from the sickness. She created a separate strain that would only purify tainted souls and used it to turn specific souls into vessels.”

“Salty Tofu,” Red Wine said in realization, all the pieces falling into place. 

“Yes. There were other subjects in other nations, but Salty Tofu was the only one to survive the new strain. Canele used him as a host to destroy Fallen Angels, and because they share the same blood as Demons, his target became misguided,” Cloud Tea explained, looking sorrowful. 

“Are Demons the same as the monsters, then?” Steak asked, trying to hold back the facetious bite. 

“What reason are we to believe they are different? Demons are decedents of the first Fallen Angel, Lucifer. He did not turn into a beast, but turned against the humans, refusing to serve them as the Divine commanded.”

“Should our entire race be punished because of the actions of our ancestor?” Steak asked, and the Angel looked taken aback by his question. 

“Steak,” Red Wine said warningly, and the Demon huffed, a puff of smoke blowing from his nostrils. 

“I can see that my presence makes you uncomfortable, Demon. As does yours for me," Cloud Tea said, her face growing hard. 

"We only ask for information to assist us," Wonton said, realizing that the situation could get much worse. "He is a friend of ours, and he won't cause any trouble."

Yeah. As if. 

Cloud Tea took a moment to ponder Wonton's words before sighing. 

"Nevertheless, the Fallen Angels are adapting, and multiplying. Canele has resorted to unleashing Famine and War among the nations, believing the best outcome would be mass purification.” 

“But these problems began because your Pestilence targeted Demons instead of Fallen Angels. Instead of trying to kill the Fallen Angels alone, we should be pooling our resources and fighting them together,” Red Wine mentioned. 

“And what about Bloody Mary? Was he purified too?” Steak asked. 

“He didn’t show signs of sickness,” Red Wine pondered. 

“Bloody Mary is a tortured soul. In his confinement, he had already found atonement for his sins. His vessel was only activated in the presence of a Demon,” Cloud Tea explained, sorrowful as she recounted Bloody Mary. 

"Bloody Mary? Pure? That's hilarious," Red Wine said dryly under his breath. The Angels must have a skewed definition of the word "pure" if they considered Bloody Mary purified, and if they took Salty Tofu as a vessel. 

“If Demons are eradicated along with the Fallen Angels in order to save humanity, then so be it,” Cloud Tea continued, her eyebrows clenching together. Wonton, sensing a potential altercation jumped in. 

“Isn’t there any way to stop the Fallen Angels without resorting to the apocalypse?” he asked. 

“The entire nation of Sakurajima has already fallen prey to the Fallen Angel that has named itself Inugami. They have been tainted. In Palata, the brigands worship the Fallen Angel Thundara as a god.”

“The people in Sakurajima and Palata shouldn’t all perish because they’ve been tainted by a Fallen Angel. And if Fallen Angels are like Demons, then there’s the chance not all of them are bad. Demons are no less than humans and we deserve to live. Everyone does. Not everything has a black and white answer,” Steak responded plainly. 

"So naive," Cloud Tea sighed, looking off into the distance. "But such familiar words.”

There was a long silence as they waited for Cloud Tea to finish. “Perhaps you are right. The Beasts you refer to are also tainted creatures, yet I have never heard such beauty as that from the voice of Sweet and Sour Fish.”

Steak was stupefied. 

Did he actually just argue against and Angel and win?

“If we just have to stop the Fallen Angels, we can share this knowledge, and defeat them,” Wonton said. “Or at least control them in some way.”

“If only it were that easy,” Cloud Tea lamented. “Canele has become fixated on cleaning the world, and unless she is stopped, there will be not point even if we manage to kill all the Fallen Angels.”

“Well, easy then. We just stop Canele,” Steak said and Tortoise Jelly sighed. 

“We can’t just stop an Angel from continuing the apocalypse she’s already started,” the dark-haired Mage said. "She is stronger than the average Angel now that she's armed with the apocalypse."

“We can’t just lie idle either,” Red Wine chimed in. “I would rather die trying to do something than wait for my death like a helpless child.”

“Well, if the foolhardy couple thinks we should stop Canele, there’s not much we can do to stop them,” Wonton said in exasperation. 

“Couple?” Steak retorted.

“Foolhardy?” Red Wine scoffed at the same time.

“They are right,” Cloud Tea said, silencing them all with surprise. “We must stop my sister. Maybe teaming up with a Demon won’t be the worst option if we are to save the fate of humanity.”

Steak didn’t really think her comment was necessary, but he moved the conversation along. They didn’t have time to worry about the misunderstanding of thinking he and Red Wine were a couple. 

“Another thing,” Steak asked. “We were told in order to save Salty Tofu and Gingerbread from this possession, they needed to be flooded with the ‘most impure’. What does that mean?”

Cloud Tea lowered her gaze. 

“Your friends have been cleansed and purified, would you really wish to return them to their tainted ways?” the Angel asked. 

“If it means they stop killing people, yes,” Red Wine cut in, his gaze hard. Cloud Tea pursed her lips. 

“Your leader, Toso. She has the blood of the rakshasa flowing through her veins. Transferring her blood to the others should imbue them with enough impurities to rid Canele’s spirit of residing in them.”

“That’s all?” Steak asked, perplexed. 

“Yes.”

The entire idea sounded ridiculously simple. And he couldn’t believe that this whole time they would need a simple blood transfusion to stop everything. 

“Blood plays a spiritual importance. If they’ve been cleansed by blood, they could be made impure again by blood, and they would be too tainted for an Angel’s spirit to reside within them,” Cloud Tea explained. It made sense, but it seemed like the possession was pretty faulty if it could be undone with having a blood donor from a rakshasa. “Alternatively, if you wanted to use that oni friend of yours, her blood would suffice as well.”

“How so?” Steak asked, wondering how Milt’s blood could also be a cure. 

“The oni and the rakshasa are similar in lineage, and thus are heavily impure spirits,” the Angel said. 

“Alright, we’ll get it handled,” Steak mentioned, more to Red Wine than to Cloud Tea. 

“Well, how convenient that Toso is a rakshesa,” Red Wine said, pondering with his hand on his chin. "Too bad she's been taken."

Spaghetti came to mind, and Steak sighed, remembering that they still only had a couple more days left before his half-brother did his worst. If it wasn't one problem it was another.

"At least we have Milt. She's an oni, and she'll work too"

“It almost adds up _too_ well," Red Wine said.

“Call it Providence,” Steak shrugged, and the statement seemed to shock Cloud Tea.

“Yes. That may be so.”

Steak held his hand out for Red Wine’s phone, since the Vampire had service but he didn’t. “Let me call the base.”

Red Wine handed his phone over easily, and the Demon called a highly familiar number. 

“Reltz Packaging, how may I help you?” Yogurt answered, giving their fake name over the line. It was because Red Wine’s number was unfamiliar, but it amused Steak despite the situation. 

“Yogurt, it’s Steak, I need you to do me a favor.”

He explained the information to the Demon, telling her to draw the blood from Milt, and to carefully inject it into the two Vampires. It would’ve been easier if Sweet Tofu was still there, but they had to make do with what they had. 

After meeting with Cloud Tea, they headed back down the mountain, going back to their hotel and preparing to head back to Gloriville. 

"That went better than expected," Steak said, stripping out of his shirt once he got in the hotel room. He felt gross.

"I'm just glad we can focus now on other things," Red Wine said, picking up his phone and seeing missed called from Salty Tofu. They must have had spotty reception coming down the mountain. 

He called the other Vampire back.

“Feeling better?” he asked when it connected, smiling as he got into the bed.

_“Thank God I’m out of that fucking prison,”_ Salty Tofu sighed, rubbing his wrists. The Vampire had set his phone on a surface so his hands were free. In the picture was both Gingerbread and Salty Tofu. Steak, curiously leaned over to look at the Vampire. He wasn’t sure if their cure had worked, considering he wasn’t in person to hear the absence of Latin-spewing. 

_“It’s nice to finally meet you Steak.”_ Salty Tofu said when he noticed him. 

"Likewise."

Yogurt came into the view of the video, smiling wide, despite the obvious strain. 

“It worked! Both Gingerbread and Salty Tofu are making full recoveries,” she chirped.

“Good. And it’s good to have them back,” Steak said, despite having not known Salty Tofu before. He sat down on the bed to watch with rapt interest the video call. Salty Tofu gave a lopsided smile.

_“So how many times have you fucked Red Wine?”_ the sickly-looking Vampire asked.

The question shocked Steak, and Red Wine scoffed, both of them embarrassed. Gingerbread, who hadn’t said anything up until now, cracked a bit of a smile.

“I told you, Salty Tofu, that was only what Red Wine _wanted_ -“

“Be quiet!” Red Wine shushed, feeling his face flush at being called out. Steak just let out a hearty laugh.

“Are you two sitting on the same bed?” Gingerbread asked, moving closer. “That _is_ one bed!”

Salty Tofu “ooh”ed and Red Wine knew that there wasn’t anything he’d be able to hide from them now. 

Even in the midst of the rest of his family going missing, he was glad to have some of them back.

They barely stayed another day before getting on the plane to head back to Hilena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I scoured Wikipedia for this chapter tbh. I know there's probably some factual inaccuracies, but because this is what works for the storyline best, I'm going to go ahead and chalk it all up to differences in the AU. While I used a lot of Christian terminology, I'm still not even 100% sold on if I want to use that particular religion, and instead I'm borrowing parts from it. I know some Food Souls (ex. Canele, Pretzel) in canon are related to religion and God, but I'm not sure if there is Tierra-Jesus, considering Tierra is a giant floating dream-eating god fish, so _technically_ there wouldn't be Tierra-Christianity, so I'm just trying to make best with the canon vs. AU as I can. 
> 
> Also for the whole raksasha (I think it's supposed to be a rakshesha or something since Toso would be the human female embodiment of one, but idk not sure). Like I said, I relied a lot on wikipedia, and when I saw that some of them used to be compared/considered Vampires it seemed to click, and they've also been related similarly to the japanese oni, so that would technically make Vampires and Demons very, very, very, very, VERY distantly related relatives I guess. It's why the Church doesn't really like them either, aside from the Pretzel and Red Wine situation, which is an exception. 
> 
> Long end note, woo.


	35. Part III: Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for these sporadic updates!! I've been travelling these past couple of days but I'm finally home! 
> 
> Warning: There is some slight implied violence against child-presenting characters in this chapter.

“The Academy is taking you in for questioning.”

Steak was stupefied as magic-seeping cuffs were slapped on to him, Red Wine, Wonton and Tortoise Jelly. He was only glad that Cloud Tea didn't fly with them. He tried to make sure he got back in time to stop Spaghetti, and Steak felt anger well up inside of him that they’d gotten caught. Wonton gave Tortoise Jelly a frightened look, and despite his expressionless visage, it was evident the dark-haired Mage was clenching his teeth.

“This was a setup,” he growled. “They’re working with Spaghetti.”

“I’m surprised you figured that one out,” one of the Academy representatives said, walking them out back where they had been waiting for Steak and the others to return.

In the large black vans the Academy was using, there was a young woman waiting expectantly. She looked surprisingly young to hold any authority, but it seemed she was the one giving orders. One of the workers connected their cuffs to chains on the wall of the van, and when they were secured in the van and began moving, the woman spoke.

“The fate of your families depends on your answers. You may know that the Academy in Nevras has global connections and authority. We’ve taken in all those dear to you in custody,” she began. “So I expect the truth.” 

Steak gritted his teeth, thinking of the Vampires and of Salad. He could see a similar horror across the other three faces.

“It’s the apocalypse,” Steak said, wanting to get everything out in the open. 

The woman looked thoroughly displeased. She clicked a remote and the screen that was locked behind a metal cage came on with news coverage.

_“My brother would have you believe that these Vampires are innocent! They’ve been behind every murder,”_ Spaghetti shouted on screen to a crowd. On a crudely built platform, Cold Rice Shrimp, Rice, and Sweet Tofu were tied up. They had all been beaten and Red Wine gasped.

“No!” He shouted.

_“My brother tried to pin all the blame on Ryder Van Hopp, sending an anonymous tip to the police to arrest a man based on accusations alone!! My fiancées father was arrested for no reason other than speculation! The drugs found at his labs were planted there by my brother to frame him for murder!! He wants to protect the Vampires!”_

The crowd in front of him booed and screamed as they threw items at the Vampires on the platform.

“We're currently working with this man to uncover the truth. This is the current situation,” the woman from the Academy said, flipping off the tv. “People all over Gloriville are calling for war, whether it be within their own borders, or with Sakurajima. We need the whole story.”

“Did you give my family to Spaghetti?” Red Wine growled, his gaze dangerous. The Academy woman glared back at him, but gave no answer, creating a palpable tension.

Steak always knew Spaghetti was a monster, but this was completely too far. Pairing with the Academy and starting a riot to provoke public outcry against the Vampires was beyond anything Steak thought he was capable of. He knew he shouldn’t have trusted him.

“Spaghetti’s lying to you!” Steak growled.

“We have multiple people who can attest to the validity of our story,” Red Wine added between clenched teeth. “We’re not the bad guys.”

“We saw that Angels were behind the possession of the Vampires who committed the murders,” Wonton added in, not having said anything until this time. Tortoise Jelly glared at him. With everyone clamoring to speak, the young woman didn't single out anyone's comment, except Wonton's

“With your own eyes?” The Academy woman asked, and Wonton bit his lip.

“I know who you are Wonton and Tortoise Jelly. Your magical precedent is studied at our Academy, and it hurts me to have to put such scholars in this position, but you must know more than anybody that you can only see what others see and therefor, anything you view in visions is speculation and subjective. It’s not evidence.” There seemed to be a hint of familiarity behind her words and Wonton glared at her.

“The fact that Wonton’s abilities don’t work on victims killed by the Vampires should be evidence enough that something nefarious had been brewing outside of mortal control,” Tortoise Jelly explained calmly, despite the frenzied situation. 

They went over a bump. 

“How am I supposed to believe that the Vampires were being possessed? I’ve heard the ridiculous story from your Chief of Police and Spaghetti as well, and there are many factors that don’t add up logically,” she said.

“That’s because this is the apocalypse. It doesn't all work out logically. The Angel Canele is trying to start the end of the world, and we have to stop her. Salty Tofu was used experimentally to fight what the Angels are calling ‘Fallen Angels’, which are monsters that have been cropping up all over,” Steak explained. The woman narrowed her gaze threateningly. 

“How do you know about the monsters?”

“We’ve found them, killed them, and researched them,” Red Wine said. Not that they got any leads from them. “We have confirmation from the Angel Cloud Tea that fighting these Fallen Angels was the original justification of the apocalyptic pestilence. It spread to my brother and sister as means of purification in order to fight empower them with the strength of an Angel to properly fight Fallen Angels.”

“You expect me to believe that you spoke with an Angel? And what kind of research? You will-“

The woman didn’t finish her sentence as the van came to a screeching halt, thrashing the entire group around. The four men were surprised that the Academy representative didn’t fall. 

“What’s going on up there?” she asked.

“Lady Mithra, there’s a blockade ahead. There’s Angels!”

“Angels?! Move!” She shouted, throwing opening the door and coming around the front.

In the road, alongside Caviar and Milt was Cloud Tea and another Angel they hadn’t seen before, hovering above the ground in elegant dress. Pretzel also stood alongside them, and along the barricade was members of the Demon’s gang, Toso, Salty Tofu, and Gingerbread.

“Release them,” Cloud Tea said elegantly.

“What is the Church doing involved with Demons and Vampires?” The woman named Mithra asked

“We’re stopping the apocalypse. I’m sure your logic-obsessed brain has been giving our companions a hard time, Lady Mithra,” Pretzel responded.

The four men began to clamor from the Van.

“Red!” Gingerbread shouted, and Red Wine felt relief wash over him seeing at least three members of his family were safe. He didn't know how Toso had escaped from Spaghetti's capture, or if she had even been caught at all, and if so, where was she this whole time.

“Don’t move,” another Academy representative said, pointing guns at the four men and across the blockade. Red Wine, instead of rushing forward to his family, stayed put. 

“What apocalypse?” Mithra asked, her tone demanding answers. 

“Our sister, Canele, has begun turning the wheels of fate to ignite the apocalypse. She’s unleashed Pestilence, Famine, and War. We must stop her before she unleashes Death,” the new Angel said solemnly. She elegantly held a scepter in her hand, and pointed it towards the van. “Release them.”

At the insistence of two Angels, there was little room to refuse. 

“Fine, but the Academy will be briefed on the entire situation,” Mithra said through gritted teeth, waving her hand to have Steak, Red Wine, Wonton, and Tortoise Jelly released. “If this is truly the end of the world, we will do our due diligence to make sure we avert crisis.”

It was evident she still didn’t believe them, and she’d be far from trusting them, but if they had to twist the arm of the Academy to work for them, then maybe they would have a chance at stopping Canele.


	36. Part III: Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One day I'll get back to updating regularly. 
> 
> There's some mentions of child abuse, animal abuse, and bullying in this chapter. They're kinda longer mentions than previous chapter so if you wanna skip those bits, you can skip from "He hadn’t ever told anyone before about the true nature of his brother" to "Lost in thought, Steak hadn’t noticed Red Wine walking towards him, boxing him into his plush chair with his arms."
> 
> I tried to isolate it this time! There's also a mention about Salad's little sister later in the chapter.

After an intense questioning and cross-examination procedure, they were all released to go home. 

“We will fight with you, and do our best to mobilize willing bodies in the fight,” Mithra told them, shaking Steak’s hand. It wouldn’t recompense the damage they’d done, especially after learning the Academy had worked with Spaghetti to capture the Vampires. The worst part was that even though they had helped aid the Half-Demon in order to question the Vampires, they didn’t have any idea where the Vampires were currently being held. 

One of the main things that was on his agenda was getting Red Wine’s family back. The Academy said they would help, having been led astray by Spaghetti’s minimal information. However, just like the police station, running covert and dirty operations couldn’t be done by the Academy while the press was hounding them, so they forked over all the information they had on Spaghetti and gave Steak funds as compensation. Especially considering that Spaghetti’s public riot meant people were trying to get into Steak’s headquarters. They needed the extra security. 

When Steak walked into the base, Salad was with Yogurt and her friend Mooncake playing dress-up.

“Steak!” Yogurt calls, standing up and walking over to him to hug him. She had always been caring, but he was still surprised with the show of affection. Salad also stood gleefully, bouncing on his heels to see the Demon. “I’m so glad you’re okay, we were worried about you.”

“I’m fine, but we need to worry about Spaghetti and the other Vampires,” he said, making a beeline straight for his office. He would talk with them later, after he handled what needed to be handled. His cell phone had been taken in for evidence under the promise that the Academy would waive notice of his gang activity for the greater good of the world, so in order to make a call, he needed to use the landline at his desk. In his cabinet, he pulled out a book with pages of random numbers on it. The numbers had no groupings that made them look like phone numbers, but Steak referenced it and began dialing a number. 

_“Steak? It’s been a long time since you’ve called me from this number,”_ Omurice said on the line. _“If you’re calling about that account, I’m still not done with it yet."_

“That’s fine,” Steak said, “but I have another job for you. It’s much more urgent.”

Omurice sighed. _“You don’t need my services for months and all of a sudden you overload me with work? You’re lucky you pay well. What’s the job?”_

“Those Vampires from the news, I need to find them.”

From the other end of the line, Omurice groaned. 

_“Fine, I’ll let you know what I can find.”_

“Immediately, please,” Steak said. “I’ll pay you extra.”

Omurice mumbled “yeah” before hanging up. Red Wine, who had heard the conversation, felt a little touched because of Steak’s efforts. 

“How long will it take to find them?” Red Wine asked, sitting on the couch on the far wall. He looked haggard, whether it was from the travel, the interrogation, or something else, Steak wasn’t sure, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it was all of them. 

“If it’s Omurice, maybe tomorrow at the latest,” Steak sighed, sitting in his chair. He would have to mobilize a good group of people in the event they would have to raid somewhere. 

“I’m worried about them,” Red Wine said, normally not revealing any vulnerabilities, but with their changing relationship, Steak wasn’t surprised. The Academy had told . Considering their strength, Steak wouldn’t be surprised if Spaghetti purposefully ignored them to take weaker hostages. 

“Me too,” Steak said. 

He hadn’t ever told anyone before about the true nature of his brother. Spaghetti was a terrifying Half-Demon, and even at a young age, presented difficulties. His father, who was only a human, had grown old in a flash right before his eyes, and his death had rocked their family; Steak’s mother had explained that much. Spaghetti had been a gentle child who cared about others, but after seeing his father grow old and suffer and die while he and his mother stayed young and healthy led him down a path of no return. 

Steak wasn’t sure Spaghetti's problems were easily explained by just the death of his biological father. He suspected Spaghetti may have had some other underlying issues. 

As a child he would torture animals, tearing them apart, and he would regularly bully Steak, both physically and emotionally. The Demon couldn't believe those behaviors were simply inspired by his father’s death, and he only got worse as he got older. 

Under their father’s control, he would ask for money to buy all sorts of things to torture others. Just like when he was a child, it started with animals before his obsession moved to humans. It was abhorrent, even for a gang, but Steak's father bent to his desires as long as Spaghetti kept himself under the radar and was ready to do any job that was asked with him. It never sat right with Steak, who felt a strange obligation to take care of his brother, and when he came into power he limited the amount of control Spaghetti could exert, and the money he could receive. 

However, Spaghetti also had an entire underground market of information that Steak had never been able to get to. Sometimes, it was as if Spaghetti knew events before they even happened, and there were many times Steak relied on that information. In lieu of giving him money without question, he exchanged favors, and only gave him money if Spaghetti could give him a legitimate reasoning for it. The car he had put a down payment on was the only exception, and only because Steak received the copies of the receipts and paperwork. 

To have Spaghetti holding the Vampires hostage was a terrifying thing. 

Lost in thought, Steak hadn’t noticed Red Wine walking towards him, boxing him into his plush chair with his arms. 

“Can I feed from you?” Red Wine asked, leaning over Steak.

“Aren’t there other things you should be worried about?” Steak asked, but didn’t make any move to get the Vampire away from him. 

“Feeding is important.”

“There’s blood bags,” Steak argued. 

“I’d rather save them for the others. They’ve likely not fed since they’ve been kidnapped.”

Steak hadn’t thought about the issue of feeding the Vampires, but Red Wine was absolutely right. Steak sighed, feeling a light shiver run down his spine at the idea of being fed from. 

“Fine,” Steak said, settling in his chair and patting his lap. Red Wine grimaced but did as Steak gestured, straddling the Demon’s hips with this legs. He made a show of unbuttoning the top buttons of Steak’s shirt, and nosed at the nape of his neck before sighing. 

“Don’t tell me you’re going to get a hard on from this,” Steak said, craning his neck so Red Wine had better access. He was starting to think Red Wine’s motivation was layered.

“Then I won’t tell you,” Red Wine said, sliding his hand into Steak’s hair and gripping his horn. At the same time he bit down on Steak’s neck, drawing the blood. The Demon gasped at the mixed sensations of pain and pleasure, but kept his hands on the arm rests of his chair. 

“Asshole,” Steak hissed, knowing that Red Wine was pulling on his horn on purpose. The Vampire on his lap seemed to sigh at the first taste of blood, and pressed himself closer to Steak. He hadn’t expected something like this to be so erotic, and he wondered if Red Wine made a habit of having sex with his sponsors. 

Steak stayed tense for a while, starting to feel a little light headed. When Red Wine pulled off of him, his breath was shaky, and he used his thumb to catch a stray droplet. He looked absolutely debauched, with a face flushed red and chest heaving lightly with erratic breaths. Steak couldn’t help but shift at the tightening in his pants. The dizziness in his head also didn’t help his arousal. 

“Sorry, I took a little too much. Your blood is irritatingly delicious,” Red Wine muttered, and Steak swallowed thickly, averting his gaze lower to see Red Wine in a similar state to himself. As much as he knew there were better things he needed to spend his time on, he was hot and bothered, and the Vampire was much the same. 

It took no effort at all to pick up Red Wine’s hips and lay him across his desk. 

“Steak, stop, we’re in your office,” Red Wine said, when he felt Steak’s hands delve into his pants. 

“Don’t care,” the Demon grumbled. The door was closed, and no one would bother them without knocking. It would ensure nobody would interrupt, but anyone who did try could guess what they were doing. Red Wine moved his hips so Steak could pull off his pants. 

Considering they were about to get hot and heavy in his office, Steak didn’t want to worry about taking too long, and freed himself from his pants without undressing. He squeezed their dicks together in his hand, reveling in the throaty moan Red Wine let out. Seeing their hard and flushed cocks pushed together made Steak’s breath hitch, and he began stroking them earnestly. 

In lieu of letting his legs hang uselessly off the side of the desk, Red Wine wrapped them around Steak’s waist.

“Faster, he breathed, using his deft fingers to unbutton his vest. 

When it was removed, Steak used his other hand to push up Red Wine’s shirt, as it didn’t have buttons and hung loosely on him. With his chest freed, Steak, who was feeling bold, leaned down and captured one of Red Wine’s nipples in his mouth. 

“Steak, please,” the Vampire moaned, arching his back off the desk and tightening his legs around Steak. In his hand, his dick pulsed, and Steak continued his ministrations. One of Red Wine’s hands found its way to Steak’s unbitten shoulder, and the other went to his own hair, brushing back the inky strands.

“Be quiet,” Steak said, pulling off of Red Wine momentarily. The Vampire’s free hand went to his mouth to stifle and lewd noises. 

Steak could feel his orgasm approaching, and he stroked them together faster, his breath quickening as he listened to Red Wine’s shortened breaths and stifled moans. The blood rushing to his cock left him feeling even more lightheaded, and Steak supported his weight over Red Wine on one hand. He swirled his tongue around the Vampire’s hardening nub before tugging on it with his teeth. Red Wine gave no warning before his body tensed, spilling his seed across his chest and clutching onto Steak’s shoulder desperately. Steak stroked him until he was drained, pulling off of his nipple before dropping Red Wine’s softening dick, using his cum to lubricate his hand to stroke himself to completion. 

He leaned over the Vampire and came across Red Wine’s chest and abdomen, their cum mingling together across Red Wine’s heaving chest. 

After a moment for them to come down from their orgasms, Red Wine huffed. 

“Are you going to clean this up?” he asked, not moving. 

“So demanding,” Steak said, his head still swimming from the feeding and the orgasm. He stumbled when he righted himself, but tucked himself back into his pants and sat down. From a drawer, he produced tissues and from where he was seated at his desk, began to wipe Red Wine down. 

“Are you alright?” the Vampire asked, sitting up once his chest was cleared. Steak still wiped at the fluids on his stomach. 

“Dizzy,” he mumbled, cleaning up the last of their cum and throwing the tissues away. 

Red Wine put his own clothes back on and they heard a knock at the door. 

“Are you guys done yet?” 

The voice sounded like Salad, and Steak groaned in mortification, figuring Salad would have known what they were doing. 

“Come in,” he said, straightening himself up. 

Salad came in, wearing a frilled, pink summer top and a layer skirt. Above the blouse was a sleeveless cropped sweater that looked thin, but the hood had long cream-colored rabbit ears on it. He wore white knee socks and brown ankle boots as well. He looked nervous. 

“Well, you look nice,” Red Wine said, taking no time on his answer. Despite the fact he hadn’t known about Salad’s desires, he was still understanding, especially since Salad was still a child. 

Salad looked over to Steak, and the Demon realized he was looking for his approval. 

“Yeah,” he said, clearing his throat, “looks nice.”

Salad beamed, and from behind him, Yogurt and Mooncake appeared. They ignored the obvious flush on Steak and Red Wine’s faces, and the disheveled clothes.

“Heehee! I told you they’d like it! No one beats my cute fashion skills!” Mooncake cheered. It had been a very long time since Steak had seen her, having not even properly meeting her. She was a Beast that was one of Yogurt’s close friends. 

“Salad showed up looking for you a few days ago, the Academy had him placed with them for a while,” Yogurt said. “He was brought here afterwards.”

“Why wasn't he with his foster family?” Red Wine asked, retying his ponytail. Steak tried to stare at Red Wine brushing through his jet black hair with his fingers. 

“Because _someone_ keeps running away,” Yogurt said, pinning Salad with a look. Salad averted his gaze and played with some of his hair nervously. 

“It’s not like I don’t like them. I just like it better here.”

Steak, as much as he didn’t want to address the elephant in the room, couldn’t stand the tension. 

“Didn’t you see the news?” Steak asked towards Salad. The boy’s mood seemed to deflate. 

“I did. But Yogurt told me that it was all a lie,” he responded. Red Wine sighed. 

“It wasn’t _all_ a lie. One of my clan was indeed responsible for killing your family,” the Vampire said. “In fact, she’s downstairs right now. Do you still like it better here?”

“Hey, there’s no need for that,” Yogurt said.

“I’m just stating a fact,” Red Wine responded, staring hard at Yogurt. “He deserves to know the truth.”

Salad fidgeted for a moment, looking uncomfortable. 

“Why did she kill them?” he asked. 

“They were possessed by an Angel that was looking to kill Demons,” Steak answered. 

“Are _you_ afraid of her?” Salad asked, his green eyes turning towards Red Wine. 

“No. She’s my best friend.”

Salad took a moment to think over his answer. 

“Then I believe she’s a good person, too.”

Steak and Red Wine were both shocked at how large Salad’s heart was. He may have still been young for a Half-Demon, but he was still 24, and if his grasp of the situation menat he could understand Gingerbread and still choose to stay here, then they would trust his. decision. 

"Even though she killed your little sister?"

It was obvious they were pushing him, but that would be needed to test whether or not he truly felt safe. 

Salad pursed his lips. 

"I'd rather not talk about that. If she was possessed then she didn't really mean it. And if she's still here and you trust her then that means that she's safe now," he explained. 

Red Wine’s lips curved into a sad smile. 

Steak felt an ember of affection grow in his heart, but he didn’t react. Despite Salad’s feelings, Steak knew it wouldn’t be healthy for him to continue hanging around, as much as he felt obligated to allow it. They were a gang. It wasn’t uncommon for people to come into the base with severe wounds from turf issues, or collections gone wrong. While Steak was trying to better the lives of the people who lived in his territory, they still participated in illegal activities. Maybe after this issue with the apocalypse, he would dissolve the gang that his father had created and start something new and more philanthropic. 

But he couldn’t think about that now. 

“Irregardless,” Steak said, “for the time being you should stay with your foster family. It’s safer there.”

Salad looked crestfallen at the decision, and Mooncake patted his back. 

“Don’t worry! You can always come hang out with me at my place and I’ll give you some more of my old clothes,” she offered, and Salad smiled at her. 

“Okay!”

“You _do_ know ‘irregardless’ isn’t a word?” Red Wine asked.

“Shut up.”

Joining the crowd in his office, Milt knocked on the door. 

“You have some guests, Steak.”

Yogurt, Mooncake, and Salad all ducked out of the door, leaving Steak and Red Wine to potential business. Into his office walked Cloud Tea and the other Angel they didn’t know. Behind them stood Pretzel. 

“This is my sister, Foie Gras,” Cloud Tea said, as if reading their minds. Foie Gras was floating effortlessly above the ground, hovering a few inches above it, and the scepter she held in her hands seemed weightless. Close up and in the light, there was the faint glimmer of wings at her back.

“The Academy is hunting down your brother, it is our understanding that you wish to save the Vampires from him,” Foie Gras said towards Steak.

Red Wine’s interest was immediately piqued. 

“Do you know where he is?” Red Wine asked. 

“As we watch over all life on the planet, we know where everyone is at any given time, for the most part,” Cloud Tea responded. Steak didn’t know if he liked the idea of voyeuristic Angels, but if their information could be helpful at this time, then he could deal with it. 

“We can lead you to the place. It is a few hours from here,” Foie Gras said. Steak’s phone rang in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see Omurice’s name.

“That was quick,” he responded. 

_“So I figured out where the Vampires are being held. It’s the same place Ryder Van Hopp has been funneling money to before he was sent to jail!”_

“What?” Steak growled. 

_“He’s got them at Gold Tree Ranch.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Spaghetti is just a messed up guy. I've tried to leave him in the dark as much as possible, I imagine Steak's a little ashamed of him bc he's horrible and tries to keep him at arms length as his way of trying to help him. Even though it obviously didn't do jack.


	37. Part III: Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this chapter, we will introduce the tag of Character Death. There are some other warnings too. More mentions of abuse of child-presenting characters.
> 
> **If you wanna skip the character death:**  
>  Skip from "Three chairs were sitting under a light," to “Brother, hey, can you hear me?” 
> 
> Sweet and Salty Tofu do kiss in this chapter. It's only a short bit but if reading it is going to be a bad time for you, **you can skip from** "-reminded her of the young girl she protected long, long ago." to "Steak, however, cleared his throat. "
> 
> There's some other kind of body horror things I guess. I'll type a summary in the end notes for anyone who feels more comfortable skipping!

After sharing their information with the Academy, 20 of Steak’s best men and the Academy muscle moved on Gold Tree Ranch. With the Academy members, the Demons and Half-Demons felt uncomfortable, but they also had Gingerbread, Toso, and Salty Tofu with them. After laying low from the Academy, Toso had met up with the other two Vampires, and only came back to the base once the Academy was surely working on their side. Foie Gras and Cloud Tea came as well, but the two Angels were flying above their cars. 

The place was known to be the biggest sourcing of Gloriville’s meat and dairy, so Steak was surprised that Spaghetti had brought the Vampires here. He didn’t know how Spaghetti could hide them without being discovered since many people worked here.

The car ride was long, but in a couple hours the group of them pulled up to Gold Tree Ranch. 

_“Can you hear me?”_

Omurice spoke into the earpiece that Steak wore. 

“Loud and clear,” Steak responded. 

“I’ve triangulated their location, Spaghetti should be in the second warehouse you come across. 

“Second warehouse,” Steak repeated, passing the information along to the others. They all moved as one, with their guns out and ready to fire. The only ones of them who hadn’t had guns were the Vampires. Red Wine specifically requested a rapier, and Gingerbread and Toso made a journey to their old home, procuring a longsword and a shield for Gingerbread, and an elongated flat sword for Toso. It annoyed Steak to no end that they refused to carry, but the Demon didn’t have time to worry about them. The Angels, who refused to fight against humans, stayed outside, watching above the warehouse. 

They surrounded the warehouse, finding 3 separate entrances, before they stormed them all simultaneously. 

Inside the warehouse, it was empty. 

They closed the doors behind them, so that anyone who happened upon the warehouse wouldn’t get suspicious. Concrete flooring with metal sheets for reinforcement was the only thing there. It was evident that a long time ago, the metal flooring was used to reinforce giant meat and cheese processing machines, but the walls were bare save for electrical plugins with outdated extension cords that ran across the floors in a tangled mess like snakes. Did they have the wrong place?

Steak used hand signs to communicate, looking above him to make sure there wasn’t anyone in the rafters who would come down and attack. They scouted the area and found nothing more than their initial search. 

“Are we in the wrong location?” Red Wine asked. “I didn’t smell anyone when we came in.”

“No,” Black Tea said, her eyes still alert and scanning. She hadn’t put down her guns since she came in. “There’s a draft.”

“How could there be a draft if we closed the doors?” Steak asked. 

“There aren’t any windows open above us are there?” Milk asked, directing everyone’s attention upwards. Black Tea jumped, using the wind which she could control to boost her upwards and land on one of the rafter’s beams and looking around. 

“It’s not coming from up here,” she declared. 

“It’s below us then,” Toso said, rapping her sword against the metal flooring. 

Red Wine and Gingerbread followed her lead, tapping their swords on the metal paneling. 

“This one’s hollow!” Gingerbread called, hearing a different sound from the metal flooring. Their large group rushed forward, they tried lifting it. 

They could see a small keyhole that would've been missed had they not known it was there or looked for it. 

“So we can’t get in without a key?” Mithra asked. 

“Move,” Steak said, putting his hands out to burn the metal, but after blasting it with his strongest heat, it wasn’t melting. 

“Black Tea, lend me some air.”

Begrudgingly, the Elemental Mage did as requested, standing beside Steak and pouring air into his flames, making them burn hotter. The metal began to give under the assault, and before long, a giant hole was made in the metal paneling. 

“Good thinking,” Red Wine said, and the compliment came as a surprise, but Steak didn’t have time to dwell on it as they began filing downstairs. As Gingerbread had a huge shield, she went first, and Academy members and Demons all filed down with them. 

The smelled the horror and carnage before they saw it. 

Downstairs, the processing equipment which should’ve been upstairs was found. It was dirty, and caked with blood, and from the ceiling on meat hooks there hung corpses, some of which seemed to be months old. 

Some of their group vomited. 

“No,” Salty Tofu said in horror, realizing that his brother may share the same fate. “Sweet Tofu!” 

He rushed forward, and right as he crossed in front of an opening to a larger space, a bullet was fired and whizzed past him, taking off a good bit of his arm. Salty Tofu screamed.

“Stay back!” Red Wine shouted, grabbing the Vampire and pulling him behind the corner. “We can’t go rushing off.”

“So you’ve joined us. Men, stand down.”

The voice sent shivers down Steak’s spine, and they heard the sound of people putting down their weapons. 

Slowly, they crested the corner. 

There were 10 men who could barely be described as men. They looked like zombies, with body parts being Frakensteined together crudely. Piece of their flesh was rotting and rancid, slipping off of their bodies, where as some parts seemed fresh. With bruised and blotted skin, they held on to guns, and Steak realized that Spaghetti had created these monsters. 

Three chairs were sitting under a light, with Sweet Tofu, Cold Rice Shrimp, and Rice all tied down to them. They looked barely alive, and by the awkward angles of their limbs, they had been beaten until their bones broke. 

“You monster,” Toso snarled, and her physicality began to change. 

“Oh, be a little bit more gentle on me. We used to be allies.”

“Why did you take the Vampires?” Steak shouted. 

“The real reason? For their immortality, of course. You may not see the amazing thing I’m doing here, but I’m giving that same immortality to humans, making them invincible. The ultimate cure for the ultimate symptom of death – ageing,” he said, spreading his arms open. “And _they_ helped me.”

Spaghetti pointed towards Mithra, and the dark-haired girl gritted her teeth. 

“Only because you lied to us,” she argued. 

“ _You_ turned my family over to this monster?” Toso asked angrily, the aura around her changing. “You did this?” She hadn't been briefed on the situation yet, and even those who knew that the cademy had made a mistake trusting Spaghetti still distrusted them.

“Toso,” Gingerbread said warningly, grabbing the Head Vampire’s arm. Spaghetti laughed. 

Steak finally realized his half-brother was deranged. 

“This is Spaghetti’s fault, not the Academy,” Steak said, trying to convince himself as well. 

“How did you do all of this?” Mithra asked. 

“Lots of test subjects and a willing sponsor,” Spaghetti answered. “Go ahead, take a look Ms. Academy, they won’t bite unless I tell them to.”

“Ryder Van Hopp sponsored you,” Steak said, making the connection between the two. Milk’s father had been giving Spaghetti money for his experiments but for what in return? 

“Ding, ding, ding,” Spaghetti chimed, “We had a great partnership for a few years now, until he messed up and sold my faulty drugs.”

“Steak,” Gingerbread mumbled, directing her gaze behind Spaghetti, where Red Wine had used his incredible speed to get behind him. 

But he wasn’t close enough yet. They’d have to keep distracting him. 

“ _Your_ faulty drugs?” the Demon asked.

“Since you’re all going to die here, I may as well explain. For years, I researched and sold drugs to Ryder that he couldn’t research himself due to laws against inhumane testing. I would do the dirty work, and he’d send me money, and on the side, I got to have my fun. For years this cycle worked, until he decided to combine one of his original drugs with the one I created against my suggestion.”

“Adrill.”

“Ooh! Correct again Steak, you should win a medal!” Spaghetti cheered. “But yes, and during all that time I was free to explore my passions. Once Adrill got under hot water Ryder asked me to make headway into human immortality, hoping the fame from being the first to patent immortality would save him. He needed lots of money, which is why he wanted you and Milk to get married, and when I said I was going to pull out of the agreement, he moved the engagement to me instead. Everything would’ve worked out perfectly without your meddling.”

"You never bought a car did you?" Steak asked, realizing that in some way, he had aided in this. 

"Of course not. I made up those papers to appease your weird obligations. I took the money to buy more test subjects after the other ones, sadly, passed."

“You tried to turn the public against Steak so that you could usurp the gang’s title, giving Ryder Van Hopp the money he needed,” Gingerbread hissed, everything finally clicking into place. 

Spaghetti applauded. 

“You’ve solved the mystery. Too bad you’re all going to die here,” Spaghetti said, but as he spoke, Red Wine got in perfect position behind him. He waited for a bit, locking eyes with Steak to know what to do, and at that moment, Steak made a decision. 

“The only one dying here is you. Now!” Steak shouted, and Red Wine stabbed through Spaghetti’s back with his rapier. Only under Steak's order did Red Wine kill the Half-Demon. They watched as the blade came through his front, and the Half-Demon looked down in shock at the red blossoming across his chest. It was a surprise he hadn't noticed Red Wine before, but it was inconsequential now, and the Vampire hissed as he dug his sword through the other. 

"That's for hurting my family," he snarled.

“Fuck,” Spaghetti hissed, and Red Wine pulled his blade from him. 

Once Spaghetti fell, his zombie-like creatures also collapsed. Gingerbread and Toso rushed forward to help the other Vampires, and Salty Tofu, who was having his arm patched up, also ran, falling at the feet of his brother. 

“Brother, hey, can you hear me?” 

Sweet Tofu’s eyes cracked open and he groaned, barely coming out of unconsciousness by his brother’s voice. He opened his mouth slowly and showed his elongated fangs, weakly biting the air. 

“Bring the blood bags!” Toso ordered, and the Academy soldier who had been tasked of holding onto the three blood bags rushed forward, handing them off to Toso. 

“We need to shut this entire area down. This warehouse is now under the Academy’s control,” Mithra ordered as the Vampires scattered. “And get stretchers for the Vampires.”

On death’s door, the three didn’t even stir at being jostled onto the stretchers and up the stairs. When they reached the main level of the warehouse, Cloud Tea and Foie Gras returned to them. 

“Thank you for your work. You freed all those tortured souls,” Foie Gras said lightly. “And those monsters were part Fallen Angel. Let us repay you.”

Cloud Tea picked up her flute and began playing. The sound seemed to calm everyone’s spirits, and Steak himself couldn’t help but feel the tension roll off of him. A mist spread from her flute and covered the three Vampires, slowly healing them. 

When her song was over, she put down her flute and Cold Rice Shrimp, Rice, and Sweet Tofu opened their eyes. 

“Mommy?” Cold Rice Shrimp asked as she sat up. “Did we win?”

Gingerbread collapsed to her knees and hugged Cold Rice Shrimp. “You’re safe now,” she mumbled, patting through the soft brown hair that reminded her of the young girl she was hired to protect long, long ago. 

“You’re supposed to be able to heal people’s injuries, stupid, not get injured yourself” Salty Tofu said fondly to his brother, before leaning down to kiss him. 

“Not in front of the kids,” Sweet Tofu laughed. 

Everyone decided not to comment, letting the two have their moment. Steak, however, cleared his throat. 

“We should get going back to the base,” Steak commented. Mithra placed her hand on his shoulder. 

“You’ve been a great help to us, I’m sorry about the incident when you first arrived in Hilena. We will create a story for the masses that clears up the confusion about this entire ordeal,” she said. Steak nodded, knowing that if an announcement came from the Academy, people would listen to it. "and sorry about your brother."

As they loaded up in the cars, Steak watched as Red Wine cleaned Spaghetti’s blood from his rapier. It was strange that he felt no sadness at the loss of his only blood relative, but he supposed the situation was a little different than normal brothers. He had only wished that he had paid more attention and tried to get Spaghetti help. 

“Why are you staring at me?” Red Wine asked, sheathing his sword. Steak realized that he had indeed been staring at Red Wine and averted his gaze. 

The pitiful way Steak looked made Red Wine be overcome with the urge to kiss him. Despite having sex with each other, they had limited kissing to a minimum, only sharing a kiss the night Red Wine was drunk and when they had sex for the first time. 

He suppressed the urge. 

Red Wine was the one that said they weren’t dating, so he wouldn’t be the one to confuse that boundary with such an intimate act as kissing. Especially at such a tumultuous time. 

“Let’s go, we’ve got a long drive back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Spaghetti. I always make him to be an antagonist. He needs a redemption story from me soon.
> 
> So yeah, summary for those who may have skipped. The whole Spaghetti and Ryder Van Hopp thing should be cleared up now. They had been working together following Steak's dad's partnership with him, it's why Ryder Van Hopp hadn't originally cared about the engagement to Milk. He would give Spaghetti some money to do experiments for him to get around human and animal testing, and Spaghetti could have a jolly time being a horrible guy. Ryder Van Hopp pushed a drug that hadn't been cleared from testing, Adrill, and when the negative side effects cropped up, he panicked. In his mind he needed money and he needed fame to escape any ramifications, and he pushed Spaghetti to research human immortality, which is why those grotesque creatures that were part Fallen Angel were made. He also wanted to have control of the Demons by marrying his daughter to Steak in the engagement that was set up by him and Steak's father, but Steak wasn't having it. In a plan to usurp the gang, Spaghetti (with the help of the Academy) kidnapped the Vampires and told the public his own version of the truth to get them to turn against Steak and hopefully have him killed. That way, Spaghetti could be lauded as a hero and put in charge of the gang, where he would marry Milk and he and Ryder Van Hopp could resume their relationship with a lot more money and resources. 
> 
> Next chapter will be a little more chill, but still action-packed because I love my action-packed endings!


	38. Part III: Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter literally was so sweet I nearly choked.

The Academy made a national press release about the collaboration between Spaghetti and Ryder Van Hopp, and did some coverage on Spaghetti’s horrid experiments. They outlined that they were looking for the link between Salty Tofu and Gingerbread’s madness and the mind control they witness of the zombie-like creatures, and would therefore only deal light punishment for the murders while they shifted the blame and punishment on Spaghetti and Ryder Van Hopp. While the explanation wasn’t 100% accurate, it sated most people for the time being, and in the next week, Hilena started returning to normal. Without someone to crucify, the rioting calmed down, but it wasn’t completely gone. With Hilena having active military stationed on the coast, many citizens who were opposed to the pending war were making their voices known against the government, and those people didn’t stop. 

Foie Gras and Cloud Tea explained that War could only be stopped if Canele was stopped, and that the disquieted feelings in the hearts of the masses could be soothed by Cloud Tea. Inugami, the Fallen Angel that held Sakurajima in its grasp, would also have to be stopped, and the Academy began sending soldiers to hide out in uninhabited parts of the islands, ready to strike Inugami when they were told. 

The Academy was currently negotiating with the government of Gloriville, explaining the situation to the Clemens' family and hoping for some type of last ditch effort could be made to stopping a war and getting help with Canele. 

Honestly, the whole situation just made Steak’s head hurt. 

What started out as a couple murders had turned into stopping a global apocalypse. 

“You look like you could use a drink.”

Red Wine’s comment tickled something in Steak, and he looked up at him from where he had been resting his face in his palms. 

“I’m just wondering how a couple murders turned into fighting an Angel hell bent on the apocalypse,” Steak sighed. Once this was all over, he’d have to think about what he was going to do. What happened with Spaghetti was weighing on his mind. This whole time, he had tried to do good. He kept records of money given to charities, to rebuild infrastructure, to support schools, but did any of it matter when he did nothing to stop his own brother? How was his charity useful if countless lives were tortured and experimented with?

_”We’re a gang, Steak! Shady shit is what we do.”_

Spaghetti’s words came back to him, and he tapped a pen against his desk in irritation. 

Knowing that the next steps were going to be deathly, he had given a full disclosure to his gang, telling them that if they weren’t going to fight, they needed to leave. It slimmed down his ranks a good chunk, but he knew that the people who were still with him were going to be with him to the death. 

“Would you cease?” Red Wine asked, glaring at the pen. “That noise is intolerable.”

Steak rolled his eyes but placed the pen on the table. He’d have to think about what he needed to do after fighting Canele. 

Now that they had the Vampires back, and other threats were eliminated, they could all focus on Canele. They couldn’t summon her, or call her on the phone, so they had to rely on the two Angels who were working with them to come up with a plan. 

It had only been a few days after the Spaghetti incident, and once again, Steak felt like a sitting duck. Salad had been spending more time at the base, against Steak’s insistence, and overall he felt very on edge. 

“There’s nothing we can do now, so we just need to wait for Foie Gras and Cloud Tea to come up with a plan."

Steak groaned, slouching in the dining room chair. With the excess time and focus, they had been working hand in hand with the Academy to study the Fallen Angels they caught. Currently Mithra and Sweet Tofu were heading up a project that they stole from Spaghetti’s research and tried to make the Fallen Angels take orders and work for them. If they could, they could be an extra force in the fight. That is, if they could get them done in time. 

“I know, but I don’t like sitting and waiting, I need to _do_ something,” Steak grumbled. Red Wine looked up from his laptop. 

“I always volunteer. You may be a foolhardy bastard, but you’re good in bed.”

“No thanks,” Steak said. In all honestly, he wouldn’t mind a quick lay to soothe his nerves, but his mind was focused on too many other things to get it up.

It wasn’t another week before the Angels came to them with their plan, just in the nick of time. 

Discussions with the Clemens’ had broken down with the Academy, and they were moving their Navy across the North Sea to launch a stealth attack on Sakurajima. Headway was being made with the Fallen Angel research now that there were more resources and people to dedicate to it, but it wasn't looking like it would be done before some pivotal event.

“We’re going to bring Canele to a fixed point with our power, and at that that time, you will mobilize on her and attack,” Foie Gras explained Cloud Tea pursed her lips, obviously not enjoying the idea of battling her sister. “When she appears on the spot, I will use my skills to charm her, that’s when we will launch a strong attack.”

“It took you a week to come up with that?” Steak asked, earning an elbow to his side from Red Wine. 

“We had to do secret reconnaissance. Canele is very strong, and her powers make her nearly indestructible. She may not have a lot of attack power, but her defensive and regenerative abilities are unparalleled. We needed to make sure we had the ability to even launch an attack, and for the past week, we’ve been seeping at her power,” Foie Gras explained. 

“Seeping at her power how?” Red Wine asked. 

“You don’t need to know,” Cloud Tea answered. “But call any one who is able and willing to fight. We launch the attack in 2 days.”

“2 days?!” That was barely enough time to send people where they needed to be. “Where will you draw her?”

“There is a park near here. It's enough open space to fight.”

“Fuck,” Steak cursed. “Okay, tell the Academy. We’ll get some people in order.”

Fighting an Angel seemed like it was going to be difficult. They were God’s warriors after all, and despite his natural tendency to oppose them, Steak didn’t want to _kill_ one. He didn’t want to have to kill anybody. 

Nevertheless, Steak gave the announcement to the remaining members of his gang, and spread the word to any able-bodied people he knew could fight, which included Hamburger, Cola, and Black Tea. The Academy also gathered their men, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to get any help from the military in the fight with Canele. 

The next day was spent with strategizing and briefing with the people they had. Steak looked out over the sum of people, realizing there weren’t even 100. Historically, some Angels could level terrain and reduce troops to ash within seconds.

Despite having heard that Canele wasn’t much of a fighter, she still had the power of the apocalypse on her side, and could wipe them out with that holy Pestilence. 

All in all, they looked like a lost cause, but there wasn’t any more time left.

Tomorrow, they launched their plan into action. To think, they were going to fight Angels, but with Canele’s plans to continue with the apocalypse without God overseeing meant she needed to be stopped .

Tonight was the last night they were safe, and thinking that, Steak clenched the sheets of his bed in his hands, hating how empty it was.

The few months together with Red Wine had been a wild ride, and at the beginning he would’ve never suspected he’d be craving the feeling of the Vampire’s body against him. It was an intimate and vulnerable thought, but as he thought more and more about the possibilities of tomorrow, a hole grew in his chest of worry, until he grabbed his phone and texted Red Wine, despite the Vampire only being a room away.

_To: Vampire Idiot_

_come here_

He heard Red Wine’s phone go off in the other room, and in a few moments, the padding of feet could be heard across the apartment. 

“What do you want?” Red Wine asked, standing at the door frame. 

Steak said nothing and simply gave Red Wine a burning stare. 

“Come here,” Steak repeated, and the Vampire rolled his eyes before crawling into bed beside him. 

Steak captured his lips in a passionate kiss; something they hadn’t done since they first started sleeping together, and Red Wine met him for the challenge, exhaling through his nose before kissing the other deeply. Tangling his fingers in Red Wine’s soft tresses, he rolled them over, careful of his horns as their lips slid together. Despite the building pressure, there was no rush, and with calm and collected hands, they steadily stripped each other of their clothing.

There weren’t any words between kisses, but only the soft sounds of their breathless voices in a chorus of pants and light moans. 

They had never had sex like this. All of their movements were unhurried, as if the possible dawn of the end of the world wasn’t tomorrow. Steak made sure to warm Red Wine up with the heat from his own body and the blood coursing through him. 

“Steak, please,” Red Wine gasped, spreading his legs wider as the demon licked at his entrance. Slowly, he swirled his tongue around the Vampire’s taint and prodded his tongue into his hole. Above his head, Red Wine’s erection was weeping as the Vampire moaned wantonly. His hips jerked at Steak’s ministrations, urging him at a quicker pace. 

With strong hands, he held down Red Wine’s slim hips as he licked at his seam. 

Red Wine whined as his legs spread farther. In his own fist, Steak languidly ribbed his dick, bringing it to life and dripping fat drops of precum all over his bed sheets. 

After teasing Red Wine enough, he grabbed lube from his bedside drawer, rubbing it over his dick before lining himself up with Red Wine. The bleary look in the Vampire’s eyes was over-flooding with wordless emotion, and against what he knew would be safe, he didn’t turn away. Instead, he leaned down to capture Red Wine’s lips in another kiss. 

The Vampire scowled before their lips connected, but didn’t pull away. Steak began to press into him, and he ate Red Wine’s moans. 

“You’re lucky I like you, or else I wouldn’t have stood to kiss that filthy mouth,” Red Wine grumbled. 

“Do you even shit?” Steak asked, rolling his hips. Red Wine jerked. 

“It’s the principle!”

Slowly, Steak began to set a burning pace. As if fire itself burned him, Red Wine melted, wet mouth hanging open with breathless moans. He gripped Steak’s pillow, his legs trembling as Steak pushed into him, stealing his breath with every slow roll of his hips. 

Steak felt his own heart rise to his chest and he pulled out, re-positioning Red Wine to lie on his side. 

“What are you doing?” Red Wine asked shakily, his cheeks flushed bright red. Steak put Red Wine’s leg over his shoulder before pushing in with the new angle. 

Red Wine muffled his screams in the pillow. 

“Fuck, you idiot, that’s good,” Red Wine panted, looking up at Steak with a bleary, red gaze. On his side, he felt much more than their typical positions.

“Good,” Steak said, leaning over to kiss the Vampire. 

Red Wine’s teeth nicked Steak’s lips as they moved together, and the Vampire lapped up the drops of blood from his lips, moaning deeply. 

There was no urgency to build their climaxes, and despite the pleasure they felt, Steak kept his pace slow, savoring every feeling, sound, and taste Red Wine had to offer him. Their faces and eyes reflected the tumultuous feelings brewing in the depths of their hearts , and Red Wine let out a choked sob, screwing his eyes shut against the barrage of sensations Steak was giving him. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” he hissed, an unpleasant lump in his throat. 

“Like what?” Steak whispered. 

“Like there’s nowhere else in the world you’d rather be.”

Steak didn’t even have to scan his heart to know that was the truth. 

“There isn’t,” he responded. 

“You idiot,” Red Wine panted, barely comprehensible between the thick arousal in his voice. “Someone might confuse your feelings for love.”

Between his own heavy pants and grunts, Steak spoke. “Then let me confuse you even more.”

Red Wine moaned when Steak pushed into him, picking up the pace only slightly and leaving the Vampire burning and wanting for more. He pleaded and begged as Steak slowly and tenderly made love to him. 

“Steak, I can’t, I’m going to come,” Red Wine panted, as Steak rubbed against his prostrate again and again. 

“Then come,” he replied, feeling his own orgasm approaching. 

When Red Wine came, his cum spattered all over the bed sheets, and he writhed beneath Steak, clutching handfuls of fabric between desperate fists. The feeling of the Vampire clenching around him made Steak’s hips stutter, and he sighed as his own orgasm washed over him, making white lights dance behind his eyes and shroud his head with a fog.  
They held themselves in the same position as they came down from their highs. Steak moving Red Wine’s leg from his shoulder and kissing down the creamy expanse of his thigh. The Vampire twitched under the light touches, but made no move to stop Steak. 

“You’re being awfully affectionate tonight,” Red Wine said, but left no question in his comment. He knew why Steak was acting the way he was, and he tugged the Demon by the horns to bring him to eye level and place a sloppy kiss on his mouth. 

“Stay?” Steak asked, puling the covers over them and wrapping his arms around Red Wine’s waist. 

“For as long as you want me to,” the Vampire answered, not knowing if Steak had realized the hidden meaning of his words. 

When the Demon didn’t respond, Red Wine figured that he was satisfied with his answer, and when he heard Steak’s light snoring, he figured he may get some sleep as well. 

They had a long day tomorrow.


	39. Part III: Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Losing all motivation to write and post? 
> 
> We're virtually at the end here folks. Next to last chapter so I figured I'd post them all and save the suspense. 
> 
> Warning: a character gets beheaded in this chapter. If you don't wanna read, skip from “We don’t have any more time, we have to go,” Steak said, and the two of them ran back to the fray." to “That was impolite of you,”.

_At the round earth’s imagined corners, blow_

_Your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise_

_From death, you numberless infinities_

_Of souls, and to your scattered bodies go,_

_All whom the flood did, and fire shall, o’erthrow,_

_All whom war, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies,_

_Despair, law, chance, hath slain, and you whose eyes,_

_Shall behold God, and never taste death’s woe._ \- Holy Sonnet 7 by John Donne

This was their last step. 

Turning back Canele’s efforts to unleash the apocalypse would put an end to all the madness. Despite the severity of the situation, all was quiet; the calm before the storm. 

Red Wine was currently their fastest, so along with Gingerbread, whom he had hundreds of years of fighting experience with, he stood on the front lines. Steak stood beside them and with Black Tea and Milk to back them up, they made the A team. 

Behind them, Calder, Cola, Hamburger, Milt and Toso made the B team. 

The formation was optimized for communication, and their heaviest hitters would be in the front positions to attack Canele immediately. 

Behind them were a chorus of Academy members and other members of Steak’s gang who weren’t as physically inclined. And behind them were weapons the Academy obtained from one of their sources in Gloriville. Steak was still surprised that they had managed to get that many rifles so quick, but he could never try to understand the Academy. 

_”We will use this formation in order to maximize our chance of distracting Canele from Foie Gras. If we can do that, then we can destroy her vessel.”_

_“What’s so special about this vessel?” Red Wine asked._

_“Angels cannot die, but in order to exist on Earth, we must inhabit vessels. Temporary vessels, like Salty Tofu and Gingerbread were, only act as the host for fragments of an Angel’s spirit,” Foie Gras explained. She began drawing pictures on the white board beside their model formations. “We fuse with our permanent vessels, and any temporary vessels can only contain a portion of our spirit because they have their own spirit inside.”_

_“To think I had an Angel inside of me and it wasn’t even fun,” Salty Tofu mumbled, nudging his brother in hopes he picked up on the innuendo._

_“So if we destroy this vessel, she won’t be able to do anything on Earth anymore?” Steak asked._

_“It will only buy us time. She will need a new vessel, and it’s possible she already has another vessel lined up,” Cloud Tea answered._

_“How long will it take for her to fuse with the new vessel?” Gingerbread asked._

_“300 years.”_

_“That’ll be enough time. So we just have to focus on destroying this vessel?” Steak asked._

_“Yes, and Foie Gras will be the key to that.”_

They waited with bated breath for Foie Gras and Cloud Tea to bring Canele to the designated spot. The spot ended up being a local park, because there was lots of room. Clearing it out had been a drag, but they lied and told the people that construction was being done underground, and put up fences to keep people out. 

No one dared speak in fear for being a step behind when Canele showed up, and it left the park with an eerie silence. 

However, it didn’t take long before the Angels appeared, Foie Gras and Cloud Tea dragging Canele through a heavenly portal. 

“Now!”

Guns were fired at the Canele as Foie Gras and Cloud Tea slipped out of the way, it was risky for the Angels, but against man-made weapons, they could shield themselves as long as they were expecting it. 

Canele screamed as bullets tore through her flesh, but the moment a hole opened up, they closed, stitching themselves together rapidly. Without her full attention on levitating, the blonde woman began falling to the ground. 

Their first plan had worked. 

The A team rushed over, Black Tea using her wind in order to speed them along, and where Canele fell, they surrounded her. Red Wine jumped forward to slash at her neck, and the Angel’s hand went up, creating a barrier that blocked the rapier. 

“Black Tea!” Steak shouted, letting loose a stream of flame. Black Tea added wind to the fire, making them surge stronger and from the opposite end, Canele threw up another shield. 

From behind, Gingerbread swung her sword, and another barrier went up. 

_”One of her powers you must be careful of is her barrier,” Cloud Tea said, drawing a figure on the white board._

_“A barrier?”_

_“She has the power to manipulate it at will, though only where she’s consciously thinking about it. In order to get around the barrier, you must attack from many sides in the hope that she doesn’t block fast enough. However, she can use a weaker, full barrier and manipulate the size of it.”_

_“Like, she could shield an army type of deal?” Cola asked, arms crossed as he listened to the explanation._

_“Exactly, and she can change the size rapidly. So be careful.” ___

__“Get back!” Red Wine said, when he saw a crack form in light barrier. He wrapped and arm around Gingerbread’s waist and stepped back with his incredible speed._ _

__Canele forced her barrier outward, pushing everyone backwards through the air. Red Wine, who had grabbed Gingerbread, had gotten far away enough to not feel the impact, but the fire blew backwards, burning Steak and Black Tea and flinging them into the air. Black Tea, who had mastery of the wind, caught herself but Steak crashed to the ground, bouncing and rolling through the grass._ _

__“Steak!” Milk screamed, rushing towards them._ _

__“Team B!” Foie Gras said, gathering magic in her scepter. Depending on the production of magic in the area, she could cast her charming spell, but it was finicky, and until she could cast, they all had to steal Canele’s attention._ _

__Hamburger raced forward, throwing a reinforced punch which got blocked by another shield. From below the ground, water began quickly sprouting from the earth beneath Canele, attempting to drown her in her magical sphere._ _

__“Steak!” Milk repeated as she finally caught up to the Demon. His horn was cracked and bleeding and his arm was bent in a horrid shape. She placed her hands over his chest and worked her healing magic to begin repairing any damage done internally._ _

__“Thanks,” Steak grunted, spitting up some blood. Milk blanched at the site of it._ _

__“Don’t worry about me, just wait until I get you fixed up,” Milk said in her most calm voice._ _

__As the ends of Canele’s dress got wet, she again vaulted herself into the sky._ _

__“Children of the Divine, why do you fight me?” she asked, and her voice rang in the heart of every individual._ _

__“You’re trying to kill them, Canele,” Cloud Tea argued, floating atop a cloud. “We’ve told you to put an end to the apocalypse, but you will not listen to us.”_ _

__“This world has been tainted. Vampires and Demons have been allowed to walk alongside Humans, and those who have copulated with the Demons and our sisters have created magical Humans that control the mind, soul, and the elements.”_ _

__“Mages are just part Demon or Angel?” Cola asked, turning to Hamburger._ _

__“I didn’t know that,” Hamburger asked._ _

__“The true lineage has long since been forgotten to Mages, but even a drop of Angel or Demon blood can manifest itself into untold powers,” Canele explained. “Those of you with Demon ancestry will be culled alongside your relatives. Only pure Humans and those of angelic lineage will be allowed to live in the Divine Kingdom.”_ _

__“Well, that’s not problematic at all,” Gingerbread said facetiously. She pointed her sword to Canele. “There isn’t anything different between you and the Demons, and if you want to continue with the apocalypse, you’re going to have to stop us first!”_ _

__Canele smiled._ _

__“Very well.”_ _

__She snapped her fingers and below the ground was a great rumbling._ _

__Where Milk had been healing Steak, the Demon sat up, not waiting for his arm to be put back in place. The conversation had bought them time, but the rumbling was disrupting Milk’s concentration._ _

__From below the earth, decaying hands sprung forth._ _

__“No!” Black Tea shouted._ _

__“Fucking _zombies_?! What’s next?!” Cola shouted, cutting off the appendages with high pressure water. _ _

__“You just _had_ to challenge her, didn’t you, Gingerbread,” Red Wine said in exasperation as he began cutting down emerging corpses. _ _

__“Good luck stopping me while fighting against Their immortal army,” Canele said, her light voice a contrast to her actions, as if she truly thought she was doing the right thing.  
The Academy members and other gang members who had been left to the sidelines sprang into action, taking down the reanimated corpses. _ _

__“You guys continue with the plan! We’ll take care of these guys!”_ _

__Foie Gras spun her scepter, still out of view of Canele, and the magic hummed within it. It was time to enact the second part of their plan._ _

__Steak stood, his arm still feeling stiff, but that could be worried about later._ _

__“I’m not finished yet,” Milk said, standing alongside him._ _

__“We don’t have any more time, we have to go,” Steak said, and the two of them ran back to the fray._ _

__Black Tea gathered her magic in order to lift all of Team A into the air. Canele went to strike them down but at that moment Foie Gras pointed her scepter towards Canele, a faint pink aura surrounded the angel. She paused momentarily, and in that pause, Gingerbread swung her sword forward, the metal meeting with the soft creamy flesh of Canele’s neck and chopping off the Angel’s head._ _

___”Once we destroy her vessel, she won’t be able to inhabit the Earth.”_ _ _

__Canele’s body fell to the ground, her head falling with it, but from the body there floated a wispy spirit. The same one Red Wine and Steak saw during Tartuffe’s séance._ _

__“That was impolite of you,” Canele’s voice rang, and her spirit took more corporeal form, still vaguely transparent. “To think my own sisters would conspire against me.”_ _

__“How are you still here?” Steak asked, as he was placed back on the ground by Black Tea. Around him were the immobilized scattered and decaying corpses Canele raised._ _

__“There are many things about me you will never know, Demon,” she said, her giant wings unfurling._ _

__From the sky, Foie Gras’s scepter fell on Canele’s spirit, pinning it to the ground._ _

__“W-what-“_ _

__“This is Heaven’s Ruling,” Foie Gras said, floating down from the sky. “Look at the havoc you’ve caused Canele.”_ _

__She looked around, seeing the injured people, some dead because of the corpses she’d called to fight._ _

__“Do you think our Divine Ruler would have wanted this? For his precious creations to be fighting and killing each other? You’ve unleashed Pestilence, Famine, and War upon them, would you also inflict Death?”_ _

__Canele’s spiritual essence remained unmoving._ _

__“You have allowed yourself to be swayed by these lesser creatures.”_ _

__“We have seen that they are no different from us. We were simply chosen by fate to be the workers of the Divine,” Foie Gras explained, and to hear that justification from an Angel’s mouth was shocking. “Do you think They would want us to be warring against his children?”_ _

__“They seek purity-!”_ _

__“They seek _love_. And compassion,” Cloud Tea responded. “Something we Angels could learn a thing or two about.”_ _

__Canele, made unable to move by the scepter through her spirit, had no comment left to give. Cloud Tea brandished her flute, invigorating everyone and silencing the moans of the reanimated corpses._ _

__“This is over. Turn back the apocalypse. We wouldn’t want to have to hurt you anymore than we have,” Foie Gras said._ _

__Canele roared angrily._ _

__"We can all finally become one with our creator, in Their kingdom!" she yelled, a bit hysterical. Foie Gras and Cloud Tea didn't respond and only gave her a sad look as the smoky spirit grabbed at the ground desperately for purchase to get out of being bound._ _

__"Canele, you have been led astray," Cloud Tea said sorrowfully. "Foie Gras' Heaven Ruling doesn't work on the pure at heart."_ _

__Canele wept, and her sisters looked on._ _

__It was over._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I like climatic endings? Yes I do.


	40. Finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter. Then there's an epilogue.

With the help of her sisters, Canele had a change of heart. Without angelic intervention, the Clemens’ family demilitarized and ceased hostile relations with Sakurajima. Canele confessed to planting seeds of War among them and Cloud Tea used her powers to soothe the hearts of those in the nation, returning everyone to normal. 

With the Academy’s influence, applicable nations pooled their resources to defeat Fallen Angels, banding together into empowered teams to take down some of the major ones.

In the coming winter months it came to light that Fallen Angels had been influencing much of the global crises. In Sakurajima, violence had masked itself as fanaticism for their new god Inugami, who had been a Fallen Angel, and it turned out that those selected for sacrifice were purified through the Invisible Wine. It allowed Inugami to take host within a sacrifice, which made sense as to why Gingerbread had been possessed by Canele’s spirit. 

The night they decided to celebrate Ryder Van Hopp’s imprisonment only Steak, Toso, Milt, Gingerbread and Red Wine drank the Invisible Wine. Toso, being a rakshesha, couldn’t have been cleansed for an Angel – or Fallen Angel’s – standards. Milt and Steak were in a similar boat because they were Demons. Red Wine had simply dodged a bullet. 

They made use of the troops the Academy stationed in Sakurajima before fighting Canele, and with more resources added, they were able to take down Inugami easily. It was weak as far as attacking, and they only had to worry themselves with illusions and Inugami's hardiness. 

Another Fallen Angel in Sakurajima was previously known as professor Semimaru. He went by Orochi and had begun accumulating power and killing inhabitants to make them into lifelike puppets. Semimaru had two adopted children who had become estranged from him when he began his experiments into human immortality and strength. Instead of finding the answer he was seeking, Semimaru had made himself the host of a Fallen Angel and took on an inhuman, non-Angel soul. His children made it their life mission to kill Orochi, whom they assumed was the man that killed their father, not realizing it was the same person. 

When they had killed Orochi, the children were devastated to learn the truth. Steak felt the need to spend some time with Salad. 

In Palata, the worshipping of Thundara hadn’t been as intense as in Sakurajima, but the Fallen Angel had been much more difficult to defeat than Inugami, especially with its underlings. 

In Gloriville, they had identified a travelling man from Nevras by the name of Aizen. He was known to a lot of local bars as just a typical drunkard, but everyone said his presence seemed a bit strange, even for that of a Beast. He seemed to be able to bring life to any bar or club he went to, and people claimed it was as if some strange power washed over them. Wherever he met, there was a spike of alcoholism and DUIs, and the Angels were able to identify him as a volatile Fallen Angel. When angered, he became quite dangerous, and his large tail and unpredictable movements left them with many casualties. 

Luckily the Angels, with their powers of healing and resurrection, were fighting on their side. 

After nearly a year of hunting them, the only major Fallen Angel left was Uke Mochi. 

She was one of the first Fallen Angels identified by their combined forces, but besides killing livestock and harming people, she hadn’t done much damage because of her rural presence. Instead, they focused their attention on Bulimia, the Fallen Angel named after the disorder she brought to those around her. There were a handful of them located globally, creating the spike in eating disorders, but once they were eradicated, the Academy made sure to establish proper health facilities for the people affected by the Fallen Angel’s influence. 

It was the dawn of the new year before they had taken out most of the Fallen Angels. 

Some of the smaller Fallen Angels had been put on low priority, and were still terrorizing people, but they were easily taken care of, and with the help of the Academy, specific government groups were established to take care of the Fallen Angels. Of course, Sweet Tofu, Calder, and others from the original Fallen Angel task force jumped at the opportunity to have a clean, government job using skills they already had.

Their lives had steadily started to calm down, and Steak and Red Wine had only grown closer together. 

Steak spent his time working on a large side project that he kept secret from his gang, donating lots of money to charity and the effort to rebuild businesses and areas vandalized by rioting. Slowly and steadily he funneled his money into schools and infrastructure, making sure the community under his control was taken care of. 

He even used some of his money to help rebuild the Vampire’s house.

After getting off the call with City Council, Steak was finally done with the last big thing. It was a sunny spring day, and despite the fact that Steak didn’t really care about things like weather, he had to admit it was nice outside. Maybe he’d take it as a sign. 

Steak returned to the base, knowing it was one of the last times he would step foot in here. 

“Listen up. I have a huge announcement.”

His men ceased their working and gathered around. 

“This gang is officially disbanding.”

“What?!” 

“What about the territory?”

“What about our families?”

Steak held out a hand to silence the raucous disapproval. He knew it wasn’t as simple as he made it seem in his head, and some people were seething with rage, due to the blood and financial ties to the gang. 

“I’ve found each and every one of you suitable jobs. Your only responsibility is to meet up with a future employer for an interview. It will be your last mission.”

“You can’t just dissolve the gang!” one woman argued. “This is all some of us have ever known.”

“I know, and it’s hard for me too. My grandfather began expanding territory and building this gang of Demon a couple centuries ago. There were turf wars. There was extortion, kidnapping, and sometimes we got hurt. Sometimes killed. I don’t want to see any more of my friends or comrades fall because of my decisions. As good as I tried to do, I couldn’t wash my hands clean of the precedent my father and grandfather set. We had enemies for no reason, we intimidated and hurt people for no reason, and it took the end of the world for me to see what we’ve been doing here is wrong.”

He hadn’t expected to make a speech, and it was evident that neither did his workers, and so he continued in their stunned silence. 

“I’ve donated the gang funds to the city to rebuild. I’ve asked they focus on schools and libraries, and to help at the food pantry and orphanage in any way they can. This is the best I can do to give back, and it still won’t be able to clean my name of the people I had to kill on my first days here, the people I’ve frightened, or the bad name I’d given to Demons as their figurehead. If Angels are willing to accept that we may not be so bad, there’s no excuse for us to not get our act together.”

Steak was met with silence, and he wondered if he had blabbered for too long. The Demon was a man of few words. He was a man of action, but now, in order to get at least the majority of his men on his side, he had to at least give them a reason. 

The first person to applaud was Milt, setting an example for others to follow. 

Of course, not all of them joined in, and some stormed out the back of the base. Steak hadn’t expected everyone to be on board with his statement, but he couldn’t save everyone. That was something he had to learn the hard way. 

“Eloquent,” Milk said to him, isolating him after the rest of the gang began collecting any items they might’ve had. “Red Wine would be proud of you.”

“I don’t need that bastard to be proud of me,” Steak repeated, huffing. He walked to his office to begin cleaning it out. 

“So what are you going to do?” Milk asked.

“I’m hoping to join the police. Chief Valencia said as long as I show up, I basically have a job.”

“How did an ex-gang leader manage to get a job with the police?”

“My good citizenship,” Steak said, a bit sarcastically.

In exchange for basically leading the operation to save the world, the Hilena police decided to turn a blind his gang activity as long as he disbanded it, especially due to his connections with Chief Valencia. It may be nepotism, but Steak would take it in order to turn his life around. It wasn’t the most difficult transition to play a good cop, considering he had done more good than bad fighting an uphill battle trying to turn his gang around. 

His phone rang. 

“It’s Steak,” he answered, wondering if he should change his name since he wouldn’t be needing the alias. 

_”My caseworker just told me you were adopting me?!”_ Salad asked excitedly over the phone. 

“I’m not. Red Wine is. His information looked better on paper,” Steak said, not being able to stop the affection from creeping into his heart at the sound of the Half-Demon’s voice.

_“But you guys are technically married or something, right?”_

“Hey, watch it,” Steak admonished, without the heat. Salad laughed, and Steak didn’t think he’d ever heard something as pleasant. 

_“Okay, okay. I’m just very excited!”_

“So am I. How about you call Red Wine?” Steak said, knowing he had a lot of work to do at the base before they had to vacate the space. 

_“Okay! I’ll talk to you later! Bye!”_ Salad said, before hanging up the phone.

Things weren’t going to be perfect, but at least Steak could protect those who were important to him, and as long as he had that, he was content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can rip SteakWine parenting AUs away from my cold, dead hands.


	41. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff to reward you all for sticking with this story for so long.

“Hold still! I haven’t gotten the hang of this yet.”

Steak may have sounded angry, but Salad, after living with him for a few years, knew the truth. 

Steak’s clumsy fingers moved through Salad’s hair, and when he was done, there was one lopsided French braid going down the Half-Demon’s head. 

“Hey, stop!” Salad laughed, holding up the mirror. 

“Well, I think it looks great,” Steak said, defending his shitty hairdressing skills. 

“That’s okay, thanks for trying. I’ll just call Mooncake.”

He watched the boy walk towards his room. Steak would not be ready whenever he decided to ever bring home a boyfriend. 

Because he sold the warehouse where their base was, Steak had relocated, and in order to make things easy for Red Wine, he moved to the same neighborhood the Vampires lived in. Red Wine lived with him, and with his custody of Salad, the boy finally had a permanent place to call home. It had been nearly 4 years since they moved in, and it was the family Steak had never realized he needed. 

“Steak,” Red Wine said, walking through the door. “Don’t you have work soon?”

Steak checked the time on his phone. 

“Shit,” he cursed, standing up. 

In the time he’d worked at the police station, he’d been promoted to Chief of Police. Julio Valencia retired from the position, making it evident that his first choice to succeed him was Steak. Of course, he had to fight back constant insubordination, but people in the police weren’t nearly as bad as his gang. 

The Demon got ready, putting on his uniform and making sure he looked presentable. 

“Five minutes,” Red Wine warned, peeking into their bedroom. 

“I’m already ready,” Steak sighed, turning to the Vampire. “How was visiting your family?” 

Red Wine walked in the bedroom and took down his ponytail, lying down on the bed with his arms spread. 

“Tiring. There’s a Vampire in town Toso has been trying to reason with to join the clan, but he’s stubbornly nomadic, and he’s older than Toso, so he doesn’t want to listen to her.”

“That sounds stressful. How are the young ones?” he asked, knowing Red Wine enjoyed talking about Cold Rice Shrimp and Rice. 

“They’re good. Rice has finally decided to enroll in school, and she’s making some friends.”

Steak straightened his collar before turning to leave the room. 

“Tell me all about it when I’m back. Salad might go over to Mooncake’s,” Steak said, affectionately squeezing Red Wine’s knee. Even after years of being together, that was all the affection he would spare. 

“Thanks for letting me know, I’ll talk to him,” Red Wine sighed. As he was leaving the room, Red Wine called out to him. “I love you, stay safe at work.”

Steak rolled his eyes before closing the front door, but the faint hints of a smile on his face couldn’t be hidden. 

Steak walked out of the door of the house, going to his motorcycle parked in the garage. Before he left, he pulled out his phone. 

_To: Red Wine_

_love you too_

_idiot_

The Demon hadn’t imagined he’d lead such a domestic life. Just 5 years ago he’d been fully invested in running his gang, and he wondered what would’ve happened had those murders never happened. Steak would’ve never met Red Wine. Salad would still be living with a neglectful and unloving family. Maybe the Demon would have many more scars on his skin from other altercations. Maybe Spaghetti would’ve overthrown him or committed more atrocities to innocent people. 

Steak wouldn’t know, and he didn’t want to know. 

What he was living now was his current reality, and whether he could have foreseen it or not, he was grateful.

He was happy.

_Fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this is done. I started writing this story November 5. I finished the last work December 14, and I finally posted the last chapter December 21. It has been a long ride, and I honestly couldn't have done it without all of your constant support. It made me so happy and motivated to log in and see comments on the chapters I had posted. I have made some great friends throughout the journey of this fic and I've been so blessed to have such support from the FoodFan community and other shippers of this amazing pairing. This fanfiction has been quite an assignment to me, as the second full-length multichap fic I've ever written and posted, I can't believe it's so long! And that I finished it!
> 
> I'M SO HAPPY I COULD CRY. 
> 
> I don't know if I'm going to write any other works, but this work and Soulbonded have both really opened my heart to writing and I would really love to do some more works. 
> 
> So until then, I hope you guys have had a fun time in this little story I've written and I hope to see you all again soon!
> 
> Love you all!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you see any errors, please let me know! Add me on Food Fantasy!: N.L.
> 
> EDIT: this is the official SteakWine Server invite link!!! Other links might be expired/might not work: https://discord.gg/2jrfTaR


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